Using Apps To Supplement Instructions

 

Back in 2019, there was a study published in the Journal of Educational Psychology which looked at raising mathematical achievement in early elementary using interactive apps.  The study looked at a randomized control trial carried out in the United Kingdom that focused on the use of interactive math apps that focused on early education for children aged 4 to 5.

They felt that interactive math apps used in addition to regular instruction or instead of small group activities would help scores increase.  The study lasted 12 weeks and at the end, student scores for those who used interactive math apps, did indeed increase. The apps selected focused on basic facts and concepts, higher level mathematical reasoning, and skills needed to solve problems.

They defined interactive apps as apps that use educational psychology to combine direct instruction with play.  The results suggest that this type of app is a good vehicle for high quality instruction in the classroom resulting in raised achievement.  It is well known that students who have a strong mathematical foundation in their early years do better in middle and high school.  

It is well known that developing mathematical skills happens in four general areas - factual knowledge and conceptual knowledge which covers basic math skills and mathematical reasoning and problem solving which covers higher level mathematics. Students should be able to attack problems of different levels of difficulty from all four areas.  It has also been shown that students who are able to automate their basic number skills do better in higher level math while those who had poor fluency in basic math skills find math difficult.

The best apps combine feedback, repetition, and rewards associated with direct instruction with the features of free play such as self-regulation and control. It is best to have students use the apps on a touch screen because young children find it motivating and easy to use.  The reason for tablets is they are light weight and mobile but do not rely on the same dexterity skills needed to use a computer. 

As for the apps, they need to include active learning such as manipulating of virtual objects, verbal labels, and numerical representations.  There should also be a simultaneous use of audio and visual parts to create a multi sensory experience that helps stimulate learning.  The apps should also provide immediate feedback both positive and negative immediately after every interaction. Learning is promoted through a curriculum that builds on their previous knowledge while guiding students to work beyond their current abilities.  Furthermore, the apps need to include some sort of continuous assessment of knowledge learned through various topics such as retrieval based learning.

The best use of apps is to use them as interventions to support standard math instruction.  The two apps used for this study were "Maths 3-5" and "Maths 4-6" by onebillion (a not-for-profit educational organization).In addition the apps match the requirements for instruction of the UK and meet what is needed for early elementary learners. These apps target factual knowledge and basic conceptual knowledge through the use of child centered tuition.  Children, wearing headphones,  work through the apps at their own pace and can repeat any instruction or activity as needed.  After they work their way through the lessons, they take a quiz at the end of the topic and if they pass, they receive a certificate and are allowed to move on.

These apps can be used instead of small group instruction or to supplement whole group instruction. When this type of app is integrated into the classroom in the first year of school, it provides a good way of promoting development of early math skills.  I liked this study because it gave me a better idea of what to look for in apps for early elementary students.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.

 

Apps, Free apps, Paid Apps, Which One Should I Get.

  I love free apps.  I love them personally and I love using them at school.  When given a chance I go for the free apps.

Over the years I've come to the conclusion that free apps fall into one of three or four categories.

First, there are the free apps for companies whose material you have to have a school subscription to in order to use such as Power School or certain reading, writing, or math programs.

Next are the apps you can subscribe to privately for so much per month in order to access their services.  The only thing that is free is the app and possibly a trial. Some of these apps are designed by private citizens who are interested in monetizing their product.

The third type of app is the free app which shows people what the app can do but to unlock most of the features or the premium ones, you have to upgrade to the paid version.  I like these because they give you an idea of what the product can do before you buy it.

The last type are those which are totally free and do everything you want them to do.  The only problem with these apps is the developers often move on to their next app and these are not updated so they cannot be used after a while.

As a school teacher, I hate purchasing an app I have not tried.  I am afraid of buying the app only to find out it is not what I wanted or it didn't do what I thought it did.  For me, I love the light or free versions of the app.  It gives me a chance to taste it and discover if it is something that will work for class. 

I know an app that requires some payment is signaled by having the phrase "In-App purchases"  but I can never seem to find the place in the adds which tells what you have to purchase.  Are you purchasing access to the materials?  The server?  What? 

Still, I'd like to know what I am going to have to pay for.  Its nice to know before downloading an app if you have to pay for the service, for additional levels, or for premium items.  Often, I can get by without the premium features.  I'd also like to know if the app needs the internet to work or if you have an offline option.  I often end up in places without reliable internet and cannot use apps that require internet connections.

The bottom line is I prefer the lite or free versions so I can test the app first before investing in it.  This is important for school teachers because we hate buying apps only to find out they are not what we wanted. 

Let me know what you think.  Tomorrow I'm looking at multiplication apps for high school.  Let me know what you think.

Math Game Apps - How do you find the right one?

  I think we all struggle with this question.  I've read tons of recommendations via lists from this authority and that authority but too many were elementary or cost more money than my school is willing to pay or I don't want to get it because it costs and I like trying it out before buying it for my ipads.

There are often light versions of apps which allow you to try them out before buying but they often only allow access to the first level or two.  You have to pay to check out the locked levels.

I think those lists are a good place to start but you need to know your students.  I've made mistakes.  I put a multiplication practice app on the iPads and realized later  that you just had to type in the x 1, x2, etc in order.  The app did not work as I thought.

Before I look for an app, I ask what skill am I wanting them to learn or  is this app going to be used to scaffold students?  Is it going to be used more to introduce materials or be used for ongoing practice.

Once I've determined the need the app is to meet, I look at the following.
1.  Does the description tell if it will meet the need that's been determined?

2.  Does it come with instructions so either I or the students can use the app?  I've had apps I couldn't figure out at all because the instructions were poorly written or they were nonexistant.

3. Does it have good reviews?

4.  Is the cost reasonable?  If its a lite version, does it give you a good idea of the locked layers of the app. 

5.  If you plan on using the lite app does it let you use those skills or does it require you to buy the app at a later date?

6.  Is the level such that my students will be interested in using it or is geared for too young a student?

7.  Does the app require students to register for their webpage in order to use or does it need to be online to talk to the website?

I've downloaded a bunch of apps that sounded really good but when I tried them, they were not as described.  It is important to check the apps out before putting them on the iPads.  I tried to find articles on the criteria a teacher should use when selecting apps for the classroom.

To summarize, select the apps which will meet your requirements for your class because you know your students.

Implementing digital apps

Tuesday I downloaded 4 different notebook apps so each of 4 classes would have their own set of digital notebooks as these iPads are shared.  For two periods I had the students write down notes and for one period, I had them write what they knew about midpoint, distance and angles.   The biggest thing I forgot to do was plan time in so they could explore the application before writing things down.  Just for your reference I downloaded SAS Notebook, Goodnotes, Inkflow and Popplet lite.  It turns out Inkflow comes with a 10 page instruction manual the students read.  When they started writing, I had students help answer each others questions on using the app such as "How do I delete something?"  "How do I start a new notebook?"  This way I don't have to answer things. 
I am hoping to have students use these apps as their digital journals. 
In the future, I plan to have them create posters, foldables, take pictures of certain worksheets and use the annotation abilities to highlight certain important items.  I am going to try to have them create posters or word salads on line and import the finished project into the journals. I am hoping this way, it becomes more interactive than just a straight writing exercise.
Only time will tell how it works.  I have one more period today and we'll see if we even get to the app as it is a shorter period than usual due to a pep rally.

Flash cards

I am having my students do word problems today and it became apparent that my students have issues with some of the vocabulary in terms of operations. 
I introduced students to the KFCW chart which is a math version of KWL.  They have to list what they know or information they are given.  F is used for the part of What do you want to find?  C is what do you need to consider?  This is where they write down what operation do they need to use? Is there some formula they will need to use?  How are you going to solve the problem?  Finally is W which stands for Work. This is where the student shows their work and the solution.  I showed it to the new Science teacher and she is making her students use the same form for science word problems.  I like the consistency between the two classes.
As my students are working the problems they get to the words telling them what operation to apply and they don't really know those words.  I have the SAS flash card app on their iPads, so I think beginning tomorrow, I will have students create flash cards for operation vocabulary so they can test themselves and learn the vocabulary.  I like the SAS flash card app because they can make either text based cards with the word, a picture, a voice over and the answer or an actual math problem. 
Yesterday, I managed to update the OS on all the ipads and downloaded a few different notebook type programs so I can use a different one in each period.  I am hoping that this will eliminate the issue of one student messing with another student's work.  I am hoping to begin the notebooks around mid October.

Using Free web based tools

I try to read communities on google plus to get more ideas and information.  Someone shared this link: elearningindustry.com/321-free-tools-for-teachers-free-educational-technology  and I promptly headed off to take a look.  The tools are divided up by topic such as infographics, text to speech, etc.
First thing that came to me as I looked at the list was the question "Will these all work on the iPad?"  I found a website that allows you to create cartoons and I think I could use it in my class as part of the end of the unit learning menu but I have to make sure it will work on the iPads, otherwise I have to plan to use the computer lab if I want to use it or I have to find a cartoon app for the iPad so students can do that.  Yes I know there is a paid app to do comics.  I also saw Wordle there and I've played with it myself but if I use it, I have to ask the question of "What is the purpose of having the students use the app or website?" 
So now I am going to spend part of the weekend establish criteria for any apps or websites that I use to see if they have a real educational purpose.  I know that not every educational site or app is actually educational.
I'll report back early next week to share the criteria I have come up with and how I plan to use them in menu learning.

The iPads themselves

I am in the process of creating a list of apps to put on the iPads later this week.  I plan to have subtext, nearpod, and showbie on them as a way of creating a more paperless classroom.  I've thought about Showme or Educreations so they can create their own presentations as part of the project at the end of certain chapters.  I have several interactive games that will be put on because they will reinforce student learning and will actually provide scaffolding for the students who might be slightly behind.  I also plan to include the my script calculator because it can do most math calculations and I want the graphing calculator program so they can graph various equations.  I need to do some looking for a trig app for my College Prep math class.
On the other hand, I will probably put on a notepad type program or a word processing program so students can do more writing in this class.  Our school, due to lower scores, is emphasizing literacy as a way of bringing the scores up. This means I need to consider that as I choose apps.  I know subtext will allow me to create and use digital graphic organizers.  The only issue I have to overcome is the one where the iPads are being shared.  I am going to see if I can have it set up so each student must log in to use the iPad and a place to store his or her work inbetween.  I do know about Dropbox but the tech dept would not let us use it last year so I am trying to find an app or place that would allow each student to store his or her work under their own name from a shared iPad.  Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Finally

We have someone coming from Apple to teach us to use apple configuator so that I can get the iPads ready to use by next week we hope.  It was set up last year but then we had to change a password and ended up with key change issues and it never worked correctly again.  I have plans of using Subtext, Nearpod, showbie, etc to have a more integrated math classroom.  I can see some ways that it will be helpful since I know that I can use subtext with pdf files.  I can set up some pre and post tests online and have my students take the test so I know where they are at.  I want the nearpod so we can go through some presentations.  I am ready to use these and other apps.

Hup Algebra app

I found this line of apps by HUP.  The one I am looking at is HUP algebra.  It is a nice app which could be used to help flip the class and have students use the app at home.  It has several sections starting with "What is algebra?".  Then it has sections on solving single step equations using addition, subtraction, multiplication, division.  Each has a pictorial example using tiles, a written example and you can try problems.  There is a section on solving multi-step equations and on solving equations with the distributive property.  All sections have practice problems.  I like this app as I can use it to flip the class or I can use it to scaffold some of my students who need additional help or practice. It is free at iTunes.  I just got a Nook and I am starting to find neat apps there so I will review some of those.

Algeboats lite

Found a nice little game called Algeboats lite for students to practice evaluating one and two step equations.  There are boats with equations such as x-3.  On the dock are four loads each with numbers you could substitute in for x and there are four flags at the top with the answer to the problem based on which value of x you choose.  Once the value for the variable is substituted and the correct answer is put on the flag pole, the boat moves away. There are three levels, rowboat, speedboat and yacht and each level has three sublevels which are unlocked as the first sublevel is completed.  The student can get a fair bit of practice.  The only thing that might frustrate students is that the loads and the flags do not always move as directed and it can sometimes take a while before moving.
I mention games because my students love playing games and this is something that could be done when there is time left in the class after they have completed the assignments or done after the weekly quiz on Friday or perhaps to obtain an exit pass.
Games provide possibilities for students, especially the lower performing ones, to practice in a fun and safe environment.

Reminders

I have recently started using the Reminders app on my iPad and am realizing how great it is going to be to use in the classroom.  Sine I am going to use learning menus and plan to assign the project at the beginning of the unit with a due date of the end of the unit, I think the Reminders app will be great for my students.  With the first menu, I can tell the students what reminders to put in so they know what part should be completed by a certain date.  This will help them learn to set goals so as to complete an assignment over a period of time rather than waiting till the night before.  My students have issues with planning and setting goals and I think this will help them with learning that skill.

Surface area

One of the topics I have been covering is surface area.  I have discovered that most of my students have issues with understanding it and understanding scale.  One project I have had students in the past is to design their dream bedroom.  They were to draw a floor plan, the walls, and ceiling with all lights, windows, and doors marked in.  Many of my students took it a step further by adding in the furniture.  The problem came with furniture and windows that were out of proportion with the scale for the room.  The surface area comes in when they add the cost of flooring, wall covering, and ceiling up to get a total cost for finishing the bedroom.  I found a nice app called room planner which allows students to create a floor plan, add windows, doors, and furnishings and view it in 3-D.  I think  having a 3D view will help students "see" their dream room better.
In reality, this is really the only type of surface area that most of my students will use in their lives.  I know very few folks who need to find the surface area of a pyramid, or cone or other shape like that.  I am writing this in the airport as I wait for my connection in a couple of hours.
I hope to revisit the volume app in a couple of days.

Gem of a free calculator app

Last night I stumbled across a neat little calculator program that so far is great for many HS math classes.  It can also be used at the lower levels.  Most calculator apps mimic a real calculator with the buttons, clear, memory, etc but this one does not.  My Script calculator is quite different. You write the problem out with your finger and it transforms it into print and gives you an answer.  It does ln, log base something, nth roots using the exponential form of the radical.  It even recognizes pi and changes it to 3.14 for calculations of volume or area.  I discovered it does sin, cos, and tan using either degrees or rads automatically.
The only down side I have found but I am planning on checking with the company that makes the app is that it gives answers to all problems in decimal form, even fractions.  Other than that I love it and I think it is faster for the students to use as they are not hunting for various keys.
I showed it to the sped dept and the lady in charge loved it.
Has anyone used this particular app? How do you like it?

Flipped classroom

I just read an infographic on ways to flip your classroom and many of the suggestions do not require that my students watch a video on the internet.  This opens more opportunities for me to be able to flip my classroom.  Many of my students do not have internet at home and have a limited data plan so they cannot watch videos on their mobile devices.  I feel stupid for not knowing I could have them interview a parent to see where math fits into their job, or read a blog, or write something or even visit the library to find information.  I am glad to have options because my students would get bored watching a video all the time.  If it involved reading up on a topic, maybe I ask students to install certain apps on their mobile devices so they can take the work home to do on the device and then put the answer in a QR code to return to me.  Ohhh the possibilities.  Homework could become more mobile......LOL

Three apps

I have three apps I just downloaded from the apps store and I will be working with them to decided if I can use them in my classes and if I can plan ahead by making presentations, etc to use with them.  I am mostly thinking of the best way to use them.
The nearpad application which allows the teacher to share a presentation, quiz, etc with the students and actually be synchronized with student iPads so you swipe and it changes the page on their iPad.  One concern is giving a quiz during the time.  I think I would place that towards the end so each student has the chance to work at their own pace.  What impressed me simply is that you can try nearpad using your pc or mac instead of another iPad or iPod.  It worked quite well.
The ask3 app states that you can turn the ipad into an interactive white board with sound recording etc.  When I investigated it, it appears I can only set it up for one class and cannot carry the material over to the next semester.  The company stated they are working on that feature.
Subtext is a lovely app that allows you to pull in a worksheet, reading or book, add questions, notes, etc so that it becomes an interactive experience and helps the student improve their reading.  I can see using it for word problems and for material out of the book.  At this point in time, it does not do pdfs but they hope to have the app use pdfs come fall.  You have to convert the pdf to epubs first.
Now that I know about these apps, I can figure out how to incorporate them into my lesson plans but first I have to convince the tech dept that I need my iPad on the wireless system so I can use them. 

plans already

The school year here is down to the last two weeks.  We are finishing up inverse functions and I"m having the students use  a graphing app to graph their inverse functions.  Its been educational for me in that I will have to figure out news ways of teaching the material so they can see a continuity between the equations and their inverses.  They treat each problem as a new problem, different from all the others before.  I think this might have something to do with the local culture.
I had down loaded a couple apps that advertised they could be used by students to practice algebra or geometry.  The problem with these two apps is simply that neither the student nor I have a way to select the level or type of questions.  Since I had no voice in the selection of the questions, my students were getting questions that might be on material at the end of the year rather than at that moment.  In addition, the questions might quiz the student on something I am not teaching because it is AP material. 
I am going to explore apps over the summer to see which ones can be used to create more indepth teaching experiences for the students.  I want to use activities that are further up on Blooms digital taxonomy.  I want them to experience more authentic work.  Over the past few days, I have taken time to ask students where we use certain things in real life to try to build their knowledge base.
As I check out apps, I'll let you know what I find.

Factoring and Showme or educreation

I was able to use the venn diagram today to show my students to find the LCM of an algebraic fraction.  It worked beautifully and helped several of my students understand finding the LCM of this type of fraction.  They could find LCM's for numbers but had trouble extending their knowledge to an algebraic fraction.
I am thinking of having the students make a presentation showing how to use the venn diagrams for finding the LCM of algebraic fractions.  I am thinking of having them use showme or educreation which is what I'm familiar with.  I am going to research apps tonight to see if there is an app that would make more of a podcast type presentation with video/sound/etc. 
This might help them connect with their prior knowledge.  If anyone has  suggestion on apps that would be good for this type of presentation. I'd love to hear from you.

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.

website and communicating.

One last website I like is www.coolmath.com.  It works for the most part on an iPad but the games do not work because they require flash.  Otherwise, the cruncher or practice problems work pretty well.  This site has some good material in it.  Tomorrow I am going to send my 9th graders to read up on prime numbers and prime factorization.  The prime numbers section has the Sieve of Eratosthenes in the definition.  I think I will provide an unmarked one for them to do along with the explanation.
Over the summer I am going to try to put a syllabus, homework and class info on the school wiki so come fall, I can just send students there to download information and check on assignments etc.  I just found out one of the teachers who runs an afterschool activity, uses Edmodo to communicate information, dates, etc to her students.  I need to further explore this option further. 
One thing I need to consider as I do more things on the iPad has to do with keeping student work safe.  I have one set of iPads which are shared among all my classes.  I have to research how email works on the iPad to see if my students can keep their privacy.  I have an idea but I need to pursue the idea further.

logs and volume and surface area.

The project started off well.  One young lady discovered that they use logs in regard to determining pregnancy while the other discovered it is used for carbon dating of artifacts.  So they both had a great start.  I am going to do some research to see if I can find a website to help the geometry class work more on calculating surface area vs calculating volume.  Due to having to take time off, I did not use my usual introductory lesson on 3 dimensional shapes where I have them build actual models out of construction paper, and tape.  I need to find a program that will allow students to put pieces together to create 3D shapes on the iPad.  For instance,  a cylinder is made from two circles and a rectangle.  I use this lesson to help my hands on  and visual learners to see how the formulas for SA and Volume relate to the object.

I found a website  http://www.mathguide.com/lessons/SurfaceArea.html  which shows in wonderful detail how to find the surface area on various 3 dimensional shapes with a quiz to take afterwards for each shape.  This works on the iPad so I'm going to have my students try it tomorrow to see if it helps them increase their understanding for finding surface area.