Mathware

Recently in my computer applications class, we researched academic software in education. I decided to look into it more and see what impact it had on subjects taught in the classroom setting, more particularly math. The overall feeling that I found was that it positively changed the classroom. By that I mean that students became more interested in learning about subject

areas, and especially became more interested in mathematics which is an area that students often dislike. It also is very helpful when working with students who might be struggling with a certain concept, because it gives them a different way to view the material. Another great aspect about academic software is that it promotes self-learning with students because they have to read directions and figure the problems out themselves.

The main way it interests students in math and other subject areas is because it presents information either as a game, or in some interactive manner that really grabs the student’s attention. The one advantage to playing a game however; is that it “tricks” students into learning. By that I mean that students learn the concepts you want them to, but they don’t really think of learning the concepts through the game as learning. Some games that are great examples of this are:

Jet ski Addition
Cash Out
Arrhythmic Four

Academic software can accomplish more concepts than the ones shown above and is very accessible online.


I think that academic software when applied correctly can greatly enhance my ability as a teacher in the future. I believe that getting students more interested in the subjects being taught is the key to their success. I also think that this is a wonderful tool that all teachers should take advantage of.

New Age Math

While recently searching the internet for ways to get elementary students interested in mathematics I came across many answers. However, a couple answers kept popping up, they were: get the students more involved, and use current technology. A couple of the ways I found to accomplish these two tasks were through the use of online gaming, and Smartboards.

According to Jeff Lewis, a 4th grade teacher at Commerce City, Co., the Smartboard helped underachieving students learn the curriculum better. In his blog entitled, Mr. Lewis’ World Learners, he explains how he used the Smartboard to help his students better understand the concept of multiplication. He did this by having the students circle arrays of dots on the Smartboard, then by finding the area of the portion they had circled. I thought this seemed like a great way to get students more involved with the lesson, and also was good usage of current technology. Smartboards are also a great way to teach other math concepts. Some of which include:

Graphing
Counting
Adding/Subtracting
Multiplying/Dividing
And Geography

I think his overall goal of the blog was to demonstrate different ways that he was using technology in the classroom, which is the reason that I selected this blog. I also think that the writer of this blog uses it to convey some personal opinions but mostly just to share his experiences with how his students respond to technology in the classroom setting.

Another method I discovered in keeping students interested in mathematics is online-gaming. The bog entitled, Bits, talks about a new website available for elementary students called, DreamBox Learning , which teaches math through the use of online-gaming. The concept is let the students think they're playing a game while they are actually learning important math skills. The sites math concepts were chosen by a team of teachers using the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Guidelines. I think once again this method does a great job of keeping students involved and also implements current technology that will help them later in life. There are also two other e-learning sites to choose from similar to DreamBox Learning but they are intended for teenagers. They are:

· Indian Math Online
· And Brightstorm

The overall goal of this blog is to inform its readers of the technological advancements being made in mathematics and the effect they have in the classroom setting. I selected this blog because I felt it did a good job of explaining about the websites that are starting to be used to teach math in a fun way that interests students. I also felt that the blog did a good job of describing things related to the theme (technology) and providing links to resources.