Instructional Software Evaluations for Mathematics
Purpose of NCTM and Recommendations of Practice
NCTM offers students and teachers an engaging and reliable way to expand on the mathematical concepts instructed in the classroom. This software includes problem solving practices that focus on Isometric Drawing, Geometry, Shapes, Algebraic thinking, Concentration, Number Operations, Geometry, Line of Best Fit, Tessellations, etc. Problems for students to engage in focus on critical thinking and creating new ways of knowledge such as 'Brain Rope' and 'Student Exploration in Math'. Teachers can use this software to locate new resources and lessons plans while aligning with the standards. NCTM demonstrates more of a direct learning experience while students can practice and enhance their learning from inside the classroom to outside the classroom.
http://pbskids.org/cyberchase/activities/
http://pbskids.org/cyberchase/activities/
Purpose of Cyberchase and Recommendations of Practice
Cyberchase Activities are provided and linked to PBS Kids. This software provides instructional games in which students are engaged in content and working through various instructional activities and games. Some of the Cyberchase activities include: 100 or Bust, 2D to 3D Morphing, Be Part of the Solution, Evaporation experiment, Cyber-Sodoku, and Temperature. Students are also able to view videos for fun and find a purpose in the math concepts. The games incorporate number sense, weight, mazes and marbles, talking calculators, and much more. Cyberchase is considered more of a direct approach in which the instruction is structured and skills are built upon in sequence form.
Purpose of Mathcats and Recommendations of Practice
Mathcats was a very interactive and fun software, in which I found new concepts and different ways of teaching and competing these concepts in activities. The software is inviting to the students right away by providing an interactive way to click on different questions and exploring methods. The home page shows the date and number day of the year, which I thought was a fun way to engage students right away. Students can then explore different Math cat portals and practice math. Some activities found on this software include: Architecture, Games, Fractions, Place Value, Story Problems, and more. The nice thing about this site is having a common theme of cats and having the students practice math with different cats in different ways. The software is fun and integrates many subjects such as Art, Weather, History, Geography, and Sports. There is also a link for students to view math terminology, which is helpful when trying new concepts. One thing I found very interesting was the math crafts that students can create such as, a polygon airport, symmetrical butterfly, or a tree of hexagons. Mathcats uses both direct and constructivist approaches. Students are able to expand on what they learn in the classroom while practicing these various exercises at home. Creating projects and doing activities hands on allows the students to develop their own knowledge and think creatively.
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