Category: Technology

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Explore Math With Desmos

Plot functions, create tables, add sliders, animate your graphs, and more — all for free.

Learning by doing, Desmos makes it accessible and enjoyable for all students.

This is the next generation of the graphing calculator. It can instantly plot any equation, from lines and parabolas up through derivatives and Fourier series. Sliders make it a breeze to demonstrate function transformations. It’s intuitive, beautiful math. And best of all: it’s completely free.

Features:

  • Graphing: Plot polar, cartesian, or parametric graphs. There’s no limit to how many expressions you can graph at one time – and you don’t even need to enter expressions in y= form!
  • Sliders: Adjust values interactively to build intuition, or animate any parameter to visualize its effect on the graph
    Tables: Input and plot data, or create an input-output table for any function
  • Statistics: Find best-fit lines, parabolas, and more.
  • Zooming: Scale the axes independently or at the same time with the pinch of two fingers, or edit the window size manually to get the perfect window.
  • Points of Interest: Touch a curve to show maximums, minimums, and points of intersection. Tap the gray points of interest to see their coordinates. Hold and drag along a curve to see the coordinates change under your finger.
  • Scientific Calculator: Just type in any equation you want to solve and Desmos will show you the answer. It can handle square roots, logs, absolute value, and more.
  • Inequalities: Plot cartesian and polar inequalities.
  • Offline: No internet access required.

Note: the app doesn’t yet support saving & sharing of graphs. If you need to save and share, use the website www.desmos.com on your iPhone or iPad.

 

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Front Row Education for K-8

A differentiated approach to adaptive learning – keep your students learning and engaged this summer!

Front Row offers a suite of tools across Math, ELA and Social Studies to help your students grow. • Math – 34,000+ questions aligned to K-8 standards • ELA – 400+ ELA articles, each available in multiple reading levels • Social Studies – Ready-to-go lessons • Data reports – Over 15 reports to track student growth • Benchmark assessments
frontrow

Lessons are common core aligned. Students begin by taking a pretest within a domain then move to practice sets, lessons, and assessments. Front Row will always be free for teachers. Set up your account today.

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Prevent the Summer Math Slide

Fog Stone Isle is an online virtual world that helps students achieve a better understanding of math concepts and fluency. fog stoneThe focus is on rational numbers (fractions, ratios, proportions, and units) for students in grades 5-8.  The games are designed to be engaging, have a deep integration of neuroscientific learning principles, and effective pedagogy.

Student tracking and reporting are included with the Cignition program. This program is worth the time to investigate and put to good use. Help your students or your own children retain what they’ve learned in school and be steps ahead for the upcoming school year. Set up a teacher account for summer school use or a parent account for home use. Accounts are free.

Check out the extra incentive. It’s sure to capture a student’s interest.

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BAM Network Radio

You’re in summer vacation mode and don’t even want to think about work or professional development but you want to be current and stay in the know. Well BAM Radio is for you!

Why not listen to podcasts from a large variety of educators and education organizations covering a range of topics while you are involved in some of your summer activities?

Look over the listings and organizational channels to select your interests. Create a playlist of your favorite episodes for future use. You can choose from organizations like:

  • Flipped Learning Radio
  • Every Classroom Matters
  • Hooked on Captivating Students
  • Common Core Radio
  • K12 Greatest Hits
  • Learning Differently

 

Check it out. There is something for everyone.

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What is Instructional Technology?

Visit any school system today and you will see your traditional looking classroom with desks, whiteboards,  computers or mobile devices, and some form of projection. What you see is the technology but what you don’t see are the tools used for instruction.

So what are the components that actually make up Instructional Technology?  Let’s look at our Student Information System (SIS). Teachers use this for attendance and recording grades however students are not engaged in any type of learning. This is simply an informational systemSchoology and Google Classroom are examples of Learning Management Systems that deliver content to students. While they are researching topics and completing assignments, are they doing anything instructional? That would depend on the assignment given.  If students are writing research papers, creating presentations, designing architecture or landscapes, engineering a model, and/or collaborating with others, then they are fully engaged in the learning process.  Some would argue that an LMS is only a method of delivery but if a student delivers a product they take sole ownership to and interacts with others through a means they are expected to know how to use, then how could you not think students are learning and engaged?

Formative assessment tools can be either displayed in whole group or given individually. Tools like Kahoot!, Quizizz, and Nearpod prompt students to interact while data is collected on each student’s response.  Whether intended as a lesson using Nearpod or a reinforcement activity with Kahoot! or Quizizz, these applications, and usage of technology engage students through real-time interaction.  Are they only interacting and having a little fun to boot or is there any learning going on as well? Make any of these a competition and you’ve really upped the anti.

Software, apps, and web resources are tools used to generate end products created, designed, or engineered from an instructional standpoint that fully engages a student in the learning process.  Of course, this is only my take on how to define Instructional Technology.  Anything software-wise for the creation of a product that is delivered via a technology device melds the two together.