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Online Student Resources

"The traditional K-12 mathematics curriculum, with its focus on performing computational manipulations, is unlikely to prepare students for the problem-solving demands of the high-tech workplace." (Gainsburg, J. (2003) The Mathematical Behavior of Structural Engineers, p. 36).

pumpkinsWhy Technology? Audio, video, graphics, and other media can provide a shared experience and establish a context for learning. It can also:

Why Differentiate? Each child comes to school with a unique set of experiences and perspectives. Providing multiple channels of communication increases the chance that each child will become connected to the activity. It also allows for individual differences, strengths, and weaknesses.

We can't always take children on a pumpkin hunt, but we can provide video, photos, and other ways to make them feel closer to the event. You can even find an infographic on pumpkin statistics.

Why Online Learning? Using tools such as Google Sites allows teachers and students to organize class materials for easy access. Students waste time surfing the Web or typing in web addresses. Establish an online classroom environment for learning.

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Explore the following examples of online classroom resources.
CyberCircus Classrooms
- Grade 3 Math, Grade 4 Math, Grade 5 Math
- Grade 3 Science, Grade 4 Science, Grade 5 Science

Classroom in the Clouds
- Grade 6 Math
- Grade 6 Science

Explore each of the following four areas:

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Explore each of the following four areas: graphics, audio/video, text/data, and interactives.

Identify a resource in each area and brainstorm ways in could be incorporated into your classroom.

 

Graphics

Explore examples of graphics that can be incorporated in inquiry-based learning activities:

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Go to the Math Images Projects. This project explores images that can be used in math teaching and learning. Select a project to use in an assignment.

Go to Nature by Numbers for some great images of the world of mathematics.
Explore 15 Google Interview Questions That Will Make You Feel Stupid.

Sometimes to need paper or virtual graph paper. Check out some sources:

Clipart

Clipart can be found throughout the web. If you plan to share your project on the web, be sure to use public domain or open source choices such as Open Clipart . Use clipart to represent ideas such as the MegaPenny Project.

Comics

Comics are a fun way to bring learning alive in a visual way.

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Read Seeing the Future to learn more about drawing, math, and visual communication and Bit by Bit focusing on number sense.

Select a comic you could use to jumpstart a discussion about a topic you teach. Create a comic to review a key concept. Ask students to create a comic to explain a math concept.

Illustrations and Info Graphics

Watch the video report on data visualization as a storytelling approach.

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Explore the USA Today infographics. Or, read an infographic from the list above. Why are the infographics so attractive? Then, create a traditional chart or graph from a subset of the data presented.

Compare your visual with the infographic. Use this as an example with your students.

Maps

Involve students in making original maps. Explore HowBigReally.

Photographs

Involve students in creating their own photos. Flickr is a great place for posting photos. Take your own photos and make them personally relevant. For instance, put yourself in the photo, use vacation shots, or explore local hangouts.

Use Flickr or other photo sharing sites. Check for the Creative Commons section and choose images that are free to reuse and redistribute. Use stock images as a last resort. They're generic people, places, and things adding to the feeling of a contrived problem.

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Explore one of the Flickr image collections such as Craft Math, Math In Nature, MathWorld, or Geometric Beauty.

Satellite Images

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Combine online resources and tools with hands-on activities.
Go to the HowToons Pinwheels project. Click the image for a larger view.
If you don't have a ruler, how will you measure 4 inches?
You can't measure from the screen, but you can use Pective for actual size of items.
Look up the size of a dollar using Google or go to enchanted learning.
Could you use a penny for measurement? Check out the Lincoln Cent project.
Make a Pinwheel by following the directions.
How and why does the pinwheel work?
What if you wanted a pinwheel with a different number of petals?
What other approaches could you take? How would the angles be different?
What if you started with a hexigon or circle rather than a square?
Create an infographic for making another type of pinwheel. Use Twiddla. Be sure to label the lengths and angles. Share the URL with the class. Make the pinwheel of a peer.

Audio and Video

Audio and video are a great way to motivate students and jumpstart inquiry.

Video

Science Video

NASA e-Clips are short instructional videos with matching inquiry-based lessons. The videos use the following design process for their activities:

  1. Ask. What is the problem? What have others done? What are the limits?
  2. Imagine. What are some solutions? Brainstorm ideas. Choose the best one.
  3. Build. Draw a Diagram. Make lists of materials. Follow your plan and build it.
  4. Evaluate. Test it out. Record results. Make changes to improve it.
  5. Share. Explain your ideas to others.

Go to Educator Guides to download PDFs of the lessons. The video clips can be streamed or downloaded and played from your own server.

Watch videos from The Futures Channel. The explore STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) topics listed in the left column of the The Futures Channel page. Each video is followed by PDF activities and lesson plans. Some videos are subscription only. The videos below relate to mathematics and contain reproducible activities.

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Each Futures Channel video such as The Horse Doctor contains images at the bottom of the page that can be used in a student activity. Select the photo that best reflects the information in the video. Click the image for a larger view.

Google Presents is an online tool for creating and sharing presentations.

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Explore real-world math video ideas.

Idea 1 - Watch Math in the Real World: Video Production from YouTube. Then ask students to investigate one of the topics introduced in the video.

Idea 2 - Watch the short videos from Adam Spencer's Math in the Real World from YouTube. Then, ask studens to use the Flip camera and make their own. Examples: Mario Kart Math: Probability, Mountain Biking, Area and Distance: Adam Spencer's Math in the Real World, and Weight Training and Proportion.

Idea 3 - Watch student productions of real-world math. Evaluate the videos. What makes it effective or ineffective? Example: Math in the Real World Math in a Squad Car

Audio

Math Programming

Science Programming

General Programming

Math Music

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Explore audio programming such as Money Planet or Science Netlinks.

 

Text and Data

From books and articles to data sets, the web is filled with information that can be used to solve real-world math problems.

Go to Wolfram Mathworld for great explanations of all aspects of mathematics.

Go to Cynthia Lanius for great math lessons.

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Read Facts for Features from the US Census Bureau. It provides statistics and information for many special days throughout the year such as Halloween, Grandparent's Day, Labor Day, Hurricane Season and more. Read the Facts for Halloween 2010. Design a lesson around facts from one of these special pages.

E-Books

Read John and Betty's Journey into Complex Numbers by Matt Bower.

E-Articles

Use blogs, electronic magazine articles, and news stories to get started with a topic.

Elementary STEM Reading Suggestions

Middle/High STEM Reading Suggestions

National Data Sources

Identifying and integrating real-world data is the key to building engaging activities for students

Data Sets

Interactives

Tutorials

Sometimes it's helpful to explore a step-by-step explanation with practice. A tutorial provides new information along with examples and practice.

Interactives

Math Interactives

Science Interactives

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Children may become "machine detectives." After collecting information at EdHeads about simple machines, their job is to collect evidence of simple machines by identifying and photographing them.

Use the links on the left to move through this online workshop.

Photo Credit: Pumpkins - U.S. Census Bureau, PIO.
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