This week’s content was engaging and exciting. Prior to the
weeks class we were instructed to explore some online math games. The games
that were given to us were Canoe Penguins, Prodigy and Demolition Division. I
chose to play Canoe Penguins out of the three options solely based off of my
love for canoeing. The fact that I was able to connect to a game like that
immediately made it more likable, being able to connect with my interests. The
game itself was okay. The essence was to multiply numbers in the question
provided and move your canoe forward to the finish line with every correct
answer. The game could be improved by removing the time limit to the questions
so that students don’t feel pressured and get flustered trying to get the
correct answer and sequentially just picking a random number that seems right
from the options provided. Removing the
time limit and not providing answers will also get students to work out the
math themselves, making them think and problem solve rather then having the
answers right in front of them. Despite some shortcomings, I think that online
math games are a great tool for teachers to provide and for students to harness.
These math games can be used in lessons and be done during class time with the
teacher, as well as students can play them at home on their own. By
incorporating math into an online game format, it is appealing to the
generation of kids that are being raised. Almost every child has their own
device or access to a device that will enable them to partake in these games.
By making these educational games available online, we are allowing students to
continue to what they would normally partake in on their devices, with an
educational twist to it. Everyone is always on their phones and Ipads now, so
why not let them get some productive use out of it by learning something while
having fun?
GooglePlay. (2015, June 24). Math Reflex- 2 Player Dual.
[Online Image] Retrieved from https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=math.genius.reflex.duel
The beginning of class started off with our first learning
activity presented by Daniel. I believe
that he did an excellent job of presenting his lesson and explaining his
activity. To make sure that the whole class had a good understanding of the
skills needed for the activity, he provided a few examples of problems on the
whiteboard that the whole class went through together. Once he was sure that we
all grasped the concepts he explained his activity, which was the ‘Magic Box’
problem. Working in groups, we all tried to solve the puzzle. What looked like
an easy task proved to be more difficult then what was anticipated. My group
tried to work it out together in many ways but could not come up with an
answer. Once Daniel brought the class back together and broke the problem down,
it all became clearer.
Learn With Math Games. (2007). Magic Squares. [Online Image]
Retrieved from http://www.learn-with-math-games.com/magic-squares-game.html
After Daniels presentation we learned more about algorithms
for adding and subtracting whole numbers. We were able to use manipulative such
as the number blocks to help us visualize and represent the numbers in which we
were working with. I think that this is a great resource to use when teaching
students and I will definitely be using them in my own classroom!
Until next week. Happy Mathing!
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