What it is: It is March 1st which means that World Math Day is here!! The official competition runs for 48 hours, as long as it is March 1st somewhere in the world. World Math Day is a live worldwide math competition for students. Students login to the World Math Day site and compete against each other in real time to see which country can answer the most mental arithmetic problems the fastest. Each game lasts 60 seconds and students can play up to 100 games. Students who answer the most math problems correctly get featured in the World Math…
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What it is: Study Blue is a very handy study tool for high-school and college students that works the way they do. Students can use it to store notes and create flashcards. Study materials are then accessible anywhere that students have an internet connection and even from their phone. Best of all, it is free to sign up and get started! Study Blue helps students study more efficiently by keeping track of what students have already mastered, and what they still need work on. This makes studying focused and productive. Students can easily create flashcards based on their notes and…
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What it is: Kidopo is an online coloring application where kids can color online coloring books. The application simulates a real coloring experience (in other words you can color outside the lines and the more you color over a spot, the darker it gets.). There are a lot of coloring pages to choose from with categories like animals, cars and transportation, cartoons, food, toys, holidays, learning, circus, sports, music, nature, occupation, seasons, and more. Kidopo has fun printables for the classroom including coloring sheets, bookmarks, birthday printables, awards and certificates, mazes, writing paper, connect the dots, room decorations, and stickers. …
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I am a very creative person. I love discovering, thinking, designing, and having a finished product to show. I learn this way. Before I can create to demonstrate knowledge, I need to build a good foundational understanding. Lately I have notice that “drill and skill” are getting a bad reputation in the education community. Drill and skill games are sometimes seen as a waste of time, a memorization of unnecessary facts, or a lesser use of computer time. I believe that drill and skill has an important place in education, particularly in the primary years where basics of learning are…
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This year I am teaching 3rd- 5th grade only. My remaining time is spent helping teachers to integrate technology in their classrooms effectively and supporting our new Promethean boards. I see my students once a week for 35 minutes. Any of you that teach a specials class know that at least 5 minutes of class is spent getting students ready to learn after the hallway transition. This leaves me with 30 minutes with my students. In that 30 minutes I have to teach a lesson and give students an opportunity to practice it on the computer. In a school year…
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What it is: Spell Quizzer is software that helps students practice their spelling words each week. Input spelling words into Spell Quizzer and use the software to study spelling words. Spell Quizzer plays back audio of the spelling word you record and waits for the student to type in the word. Students get immediate feedback about how they did. The software re-quizzes students on spelling words that were missed after the first run through. This software costs $29.95 but the creator has generously offered iLearn Technology readers a free copy of the software for one classroom computer. Parents can get…
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What it is: TutPup is an outstanding, free math and spelling practice website. At TutPup students can compete in fun, educational games against kids from all over the world live. The site reminds me a lot of the World Math Day competition. Students are matched up with other students from around the world where they play fact games and compete in real time to see who best knows their stuff. I love that TutPup is available to students all year long (unlike the World Math Day site), it doesn’t collect personal information about students, and there are several games…
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What it is: Toy Theater is a fun place for students to practice math, reading, art, and music through puzzle type games. Toy Theater encourages students in k-4 to get their problem solving brain cells working as they explore and discover the games in Toy Theater. In the art section, students can animate their own cartoon character, put on a puppet show, or make a Matisse. In the music section, students can make music with the Composer, interact with notes with The Music Maker, or go on a pounding mission with the Drum Beats, you will have miniature maestros…
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What it is: Lure of the Labyrinth is a interactive math game created by Fable Vision, MPT, and MIT. In the game underground monsters come to life as students plunge into a shadowy factory on a mission to rescue a missing pet. Students take on a monster persona and disguise themselves as monster insiders to maneuver through math problems. As students work through the game, they will work with proportions, fractions, ratios, variables, equations, numbers, and operations. How to integrate Lure of the Labyrinth into the classroom: Lure of the Labyrinth can be played individually or in team play. This…
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What it is: ict Numeracy Games are created by educator James Barrett. These flash games are excellent for primary and beginning secondary elementary students to practice math. You will find game themes for number facts, counting, bridging through ten, time, shape and measures, greater than and less than, multiplication and rounding, money (this is UK money), addition, subtraction, odd and even, place values, doubles, and equivalence. Each math or numeracy theme has several games to play for practice. Each is interactive and has instructions for integrating the game into the classroom. All great ideas! How to integrate ict Numeracy…