Featured: 2-5-2014 DragonBox

DragonBox was created to counter student negativity toward algebra by making it simple to understand and learn algebra´s "big ideas," with or without help, at one’s own pace. 

 

The conception of DragonBox was based on...

… the belief and the vision that human beings are hardwired to learn extremely complicated concepts. By placing the student at the center of the learning process one can engage the brain of the students in an optimal manner, achieving results in agreement with the marvelous capacity of the human brain.

DragonBox starts by teaching algebra before arithmetic. Initially, pictures rather than numbers or variables are used to demonstrate the algebra ''game'' before developing its traditional formalism. The game is focused on mathematical rules throughout.

 

 

Playing DragonBox can help kids develop creative thinking. Players discover algebraic rules and have to use the rules to solve puzzles. This can lead to a lot of trial and error, encouraging higher level thinking.

 

Some of the key principles used in designing DragonBox:

• Students learn more when they are engaged.
• An important contributor to learning is immediate feedback.
• Students should be presented with challenges that match their level of mastery.
• Students should be assessed in a formative, non-intrusive way.
• Discovery or experiential learning is more effective than instructional-based teaching.
• Students learn differently and at different paces.
• The language we use to teach mathematics is a barrier to understanding.

 View The DragonBox Concept

 

DragonBox Algebra 5+  is meant to give younger kids a head start in mathematics and algebra. DragonBox Algebra 12+ covers more advanced topics in mathematics and algebra. Both are available for Android and iOS.

 

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: http://cmp.ly/0

Featured: 2-4-2014 Vocabulary Notebook

Vocabulary Notebook provides a a set of tools for schools and teachers to help students learn vocabulary faster using technology, making it more contemporary and engaging.

 

With the full Vocabulary Notebook for schools, students will have Cloud Accounts and teachers will have a dashboard to manage and get feedback about their students.

 

Key Teacher Dashboard features:

• Check your students' most important and unknown words.
• See interactive charts with stats about your students.
• See your student's tests scores and number of words.
• Suggest words to your students.

Vocabulary Notebook is easy for students to use. Just install the app and start to type those words you always forget. Change the importance of a word and mark it as "known" or "not known" whenever you want.

 

Students are able to filter words by importance or categories, for example, showing only words related to “work”. Sort words alphabetically or display only those words, phrasal verbs, or idioms that you don't know.

 

The test tool will randomly select words according to your filters and it will ask you to select whether you know them or not. Those words you don't know will automatically be marked as "not known", making it easier to take another look at them later.

 

Cloud Accounts and the web app synchronize with students’ mobile apps for iOS and Android. 

 Watch a video overview of Vocabulary Notebook

 

Teachers can discover which words students don't know as well as the categories they use most. With Vocabulary Notebook, teachers are able to send lists of vocabulary to their students.

 

With the Teacher Dashboard, you will see key information about your students. See stats like the number of words each student has, their average score in self-assessment tests, how often they use the app, and more. 

 

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: http://cmp.ly/0

Featured: 2-3-2014 Grapher

Grapher is a free tool bundled with Mac OS X (10.4+) that enables graphing and analyzing implicit and explicit equations in two or three dimensions. The results can be visualized as an animation or image. 

 

Grapher is a graphing calculator, capable of creating both 2-D graphs including classic (linear-linear), polar coordinates, linear-logarithmic, log-log, and polar log as well as 3-D graphs including standard system, cylindrical system, and spherical system.

 

 

You can find Grapher in the Utilities folder within the Applications folder. The easiest way to launch Grapher, though, is using Spotlight.

 

 

To use Grapher, first choose the type of graph you want to create. You can select from a variety of 2-D and 3-D templates. Choose New Equation to create your own equation, or choose New Equation From Template to add parametric equations, differential equations, vector field equations, or series from templates. Select an equation in the equations list to edit or delete the equation.

 

 

Grapher supports multiple equations in one graph, exporting equations to LaTeX format, and includes several pre-made equation examples. It is capable of easily exporting vector art for use in printed documents. QuickTime animation of graphs is also supported in both 2-D and 3-D. 

 View Using Macintosh OS X Grapher Program to plot 3D points 

Grapher’s equation menu includes functions for evaluating equations, performing integration, and finding intersections. You can click any point of an equation to view its evaluation or find an approximate intersection.

 

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: http://cmp.ly/0

Extra: 2-2-14 Microsoft Mathematics

Last week, I posted about the Grapher app bundled with Mac OS X. Though, not automatically included with any Windows OS, Microsoft offers a similar app as a free download.

Microsoft Mathematics provides a graphing calculator that plots graphs in 2-D and 3-D, step-by-step equation solving, and useful tools to help students with math and science.

 

 

Theset of mathematical tools provided by Microsoft Mathematics can help students get school work done quickly and easily. Students can learn to solve equations step-by-step while gaining a better understanding of fundamental concepts in pre-algebra, algebra, trigonometry, physics, chemistry, and calculus.

 

A full-featured graphing calculator, designed to work like a handheld calculator, is included in Microsoft Mathematics. There are additional tools help evaluate triangles, convert from one system of units to another, and solve systems of equations.

 

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: http://cmp.ly/0

The Rearview Mirror 2-1-2014

For those of you who may have missed an EDge21 featured post or who didn't have the opportunity to look at some of them during this past week, here's a second chance.

 

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Monday

The BioDigital Human is a virtual 3-D body that brings thousands of accurate anatomy objects and health conditions to life in an interactive online platform.

Tuesday

Create your own worksheets to visualize, interact with, and explore mathematics with MathDisk online.

Wednesday

NOVA Education is a collection of resources from the PBS science series NOVA. The purpose of the site is to bring science, technology, and engineering to life in educational settings.

 

Thursday

Versal is a simple publishing platform with everything you need to create interactive courses.