update on myscript calculator

I did a bit of reading on the web and tried it out a bit more and discovered a couple things about it.
1.  You can write an equation like 2x ? + 1 =9 and it will write 2 x  4 + 1 = 8.  It will actually solve the problem.
2.  If you do 2 x 3 = 5, it will give you the answer 2 x 3 = 5  + 1  so it takes your answer and tells you how far off it is.
3.  Since it only does nth roots by using the fractional form of the radical signs, this means that students get more practice on converting radicals into fractional exponents.  I like this because too many of my students have trouble with the connection.
Finally, the student I let try it out for some work, loved it. 
I am going to continue exploring it this summer but I think I will put it n the iPads in the fall.

I showed the subtext app to the principal who used to be the science teacher.  His first comment out was that you could set up a whole week doing this type of app.  He was impressed.
So I have 3 to 5 apps that I will be working on over the summer to prepare for the fall.  I will be sharing things as I set them up.

One last thing.  My 9th graders love using the Venn diagrams to find LCM and GCF  because it allows them to see the relationship between the two.  I am going to see about creating a document that I can use with subtext or with the students that they can fill out for themselves.

learned something new today

I actually learned how to use the Venn Diagram for Lowest Common Multiples. When you are finding LCM of two numbers, you write what is common to both numbers into the overlapping section, the remaining factors in the circle for the number then multiply the factors together.



As you can see the factors for the LCM are 7 x 2 x 11 x 2 x 2 if you read left to right.  This is a way for my students to see the difference between GCF and LCM and they have trouble telling the two apart.
This could easily be done on doodle buddy or SAS Gloss or some other program which would allow them to use their fingers.
I am thinking that you could have a venn diagram in pdf form and send it to the kids so they use annotation to do the work.  Opens up some new possibilities.