Math Dude

  I was looking around for a nice video on solving one-step equations but was having trouble until I found a series of videos by Math Dude.  Math Dude is also known as Mike Degraba who prepared a series of math videos for the Montgomery Public Schools in Maryland.

The video lasted about 9:30 seconds and it kept students enthralled until the end.  It had wonderful explanations, illustrations and was crazy enough to make the kids like it.

There are 31 different videos covering topics from graphic representations to solving equations, to finding slope and the equation of a line, to solving systems of equations to solving equations by factoring and so much more.

What impresses me most besides the fact you can down load the videos for free from the website, and the creations are extremely professional in appearance.  The volume is great so no one is straining to hear the material.  The inserts are easily seen and the Math Dude uses two cameras and looks directly at one or the other.

The video on solving one step equations began outside with the Math Dude and several children balanced on a see-saw.  When two students got off, it showed balance but when one got off, Math Dude fell off because it was no longer balanced.

As he instructs, an inset shows the math as he speaks so students see what is going on.  He used word problems to show the translations from words to math and then showed how to solve problems using each of the four operations.  Its very clear.  I liked that each operation was shown separately so students could see the process.

Most of the videos range in length from 6 to 13 minutes.  Each video is filled with humor, instruction, and information on so much more. His sense of humor shines through and captivated each and everyone of my students.

Check him out, if not at the school website, he can be found on Youtube.  Just type in Math Dude and the videos will pop up.