Geoboard app.

  Last night as I pondered a way to help my students translate the written directions for transformations, I realized I have the Geoboard app on the iPads.  Geoboards are the perfect vehicle for this so later today when I teach Geometry,  I will have the students use the Geoboards to help them see the movement.

They can create the coordinate plane using one color of rubber band for the x and y axis.  Then they put the original shape so they have the starting point.  As they read the directions to move the shape, they can use the rubber bands to make the new shape.

I think by following this step by step, they can physically do the transformation and check their answers.  Due to cultural learning's, they want to know if each and every problem is "right".  I want to give them ways to check their work  without having to tell them it is right. 

Since they didn't talk about manipulatives for high school teachers when I got my teaching credentials, I've had to learn by trial and error.  I did a quick search on the internet and found this lovely pdf from Math Forums on using geoboards in the classroom.  The 37 page document starts with the Pythagorean Theorem and Area followed by 6 complete lessons.  Yes its dated 1995 but the information is as applicable today as it was in the past.

This short article from NRICH which includes a few games that can be played with the geoboads.  Although this article is geared for elementary teachers, the information can easily be applied to secondary. 

Finally, check out Dr. Nicki's Guided Math Blog for some awesome links on using geoboards for guided math activities.  It is well organized and awesome ideas.  Please check it out if you need ideas.  These resources are going to make geometry more dynamic this year.  Yeah!!!!!!

Geoboard app + polygons

Usually when it is time to start a new section, I give the students a reading assignment before covering the material but this time I am approaching polygons and their interior measures a bit differently.  I am having them do the exploration before reading the section.  The exercise has them draw various polygons beginning with a triangle, then a quadrilateral, pentagon, etc.

 As they  create the polygon on geoboard, they subdivide the shape into triangles.  They use the triangles to calculate the total angle measure and the measure of each angle. 

This gives them a chance to create and discover the answer.  I've used this exercise in the past but had them actually draw the shapes but this time I decided to save paper and have them do it on the geoboard app.  The first part of the exercise has them create certain polygons and subdivide the shape into smaller triangles to find the formula 180(n-2). The second part requires that they find a point inside the shape and create lines from the point to the vertex to find smaller triangles.  This leads them to the 180(n-2) via 180n - 360. 
This exercise is allowing them to build or strengthen their foundational knowledge before they read the section tomorrow.  I am hoping this will give them a better understanding of the material since most of my students are ELL. 
This activity kept my students engaged the whole period and it was easier because no paper was used, no lost rubber bands or broken boards.  I am going to use this activity again.

Geoboard vs Geopad app

I just started my geometry class on triangle bisectors. Today we walked a movie where the instructor actually showed students where the names for the circumcenter and incenter come from and showed them both the angle bisectors and perpendicular bisectors.  For the last few minutes of class I had students play with the geopad app but a few decided to play with geoboard.   I looked at both apps but only the geopad will allow students to create the triangles, put the appropriate bisector on it and place the circles around the various triangles.  Furthermore, it allows students to move shapes around so they can observe for themselves what happens to the points of concurrency with the various type of triangles.
On the other hand, the geoboard app allows the students to create large triangles in a much easier manner.  They can use a rubberband to make the bisectors but they may not be able to make the bisector perfectly perpendicular or cut the angle precisely in half.  The geopad has an option for that.  In addition, geoboard will not allow students to add a circle.  I do see geoboard as being the better choice for tesselations, transformations, shapes.  All told, I think each is good for certain circumstances.

Geoboards and Book Creator

Yesterday I ended up having a preschooler in my room while I was doing work after school.  I put her on geometry pad and she did very, very, well on it.  She had a lovely time making patterns and showing me her creations.  This reminded me that if I give students free reign to choose a program, many choose this to play with and create patterns.  I think given a chance, students enjoy creating their own original art.  My geometry class will soon start learning about congruent triangles after they learn about classifying angles.  I've decided they can make a small book using Book Creator on classifying triangles by sides or angles using the geoboard for the illustrations and they can put in the information using text.  The next step in the process would be to have students using showme or other such program to make a presentation for the different theorems used in proving congruent triangles.
Each day I find more things I can do with the free apps I have.  I will start this in about 2 weeks.