Glogster

  • Usage – Glogster allows you to create interactive multimedia posters.
  • Value – Glogster can be a valuable tool that students can use to deepen their understanding of mathematical concepts.  This can be a great source of differentiated learning.
  • Cost –  For personal use it is $29.99 (one time).  For elementary use (up to 30 students ) the cost is $39 (annually).  For secondary use (up to 125 students) the cost is $95 (annually)
  • How to Implement – I could see math teachers implementing Glogster as a review tool for students or as an extra credit assignment to extend learning beyond the classroom.  The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) cited a project that made students include the following: an introduction of the topic and basic definitions; problems represented algebraically and graphically; a statement to show where the topic fits in the “big picture” of mathematics; an example of a real-world problem.

Pixton

  • Usage – Pixton is tool that is used to create digital comics.  In a nutshell it is educational comic storyboarding.  Pixton as outlined the following steps for usage: “students are organized into groups; students can make comics once the teacher has assigned an activity to the group; students submit finished comics to the teacher; approved comics are shared with the group, in the student gallery”.
  • Value –  Pixton can be a valuable tool that students can use to deepen their understanding of application problems.  This can be a great source of differentiated learning.
  • Cost – Individual teachers are eligible to purchase a monthly subscription, starting at $8.99 / month for up to 36 students or $18.99 / month for up to 100 students.
  • How to Implement – I could see math teachers implementing Pixton as an  assignment to extend student’s grasp of the application of mathematics in the real world.

 

Big Huge Labs

  • Usage – Big Huge Labs allows you to make posters, canvases and lots of printed items.  However, for the classroom the biggest attraction is their trading cards found at http://bighugelabs.com/deck.php.
  • Value – Big Huge Labs allows you to create trading cards which can help students review concepts.
  • Cost – Free, however, if you don’t like the ads you can pay $7/1 week, $15/1 month $25/year, $100/lifetime
  • How to Implement – I could see math teachers implementing the Trading Cards by Big Huge Labs  by creating their own flash cards or concept cards to help students memorize important concepts.

GeoGebra

  • Usage – GeoGebra is an interactive graphing calculator, geometry and 3D grapher, spreadsheet and probability calculator.
  • Value – GeoGebra allows math teachers to illustrate mathematical concepts in a more visual manner.
  • Cost – Free
  • How to Implement – I could see math teachers implementing every aspect of GeoGebra to illustrate a variety of mathematical concepts.  This would be a great way to differentiate instruction.

There are so many tools to name but I also found these tools very cool so they deserve a blog mention:

 


Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.