App and Applets Critique

App: Operations and Algebraic Thinking Plus Counting and Cardinality (K-2)

Source: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/operations-algebraic-thinking/id827132721?mt=8 

The app is set up to help the student meet the standards of Operations and Algebraic Thinking plus those of Counting and Cardinality. At each level the standard is written in the top corner, so using the game in the classroom will help easily show the teacher what the students are working on exactly. The app is presented with a student in front of a whiteboard with manipulatives to drop and drag. Reviews of the game consist of: "perfecting aligning with Common Core Standards", "easy to use" and "surprised with all you can do and learn from the app!" The design is simple and not overstimulating. I love the idea behind the game but I think the students would get bored from it easily. It is meant for K-2nd. The students will be excited to be on an iPad but it is still designed almost too simplistic. 

I believe the idea behind that app is awesome! If students have technology centers and are allowed time on an iPad the teacher can quickly see what standard is being worked on and what the students are thinking. I do believe the app's design is lacking and will cause the students to not think of the app as fun but as another lesson they just did on paper. The content and set up is great and would be something I would want in my class, hoping to only see the app develop more over time and take a more creative approach. 

Applet 1: Grouping and Grazing (K-2)

Source: https://illuminations.nctm.org/Activity.aspx?id=3526

The applet is a game where the students will use addition and subtraction up to five to see if they have selected five cows before being able to have them get taken away. In the applet the objective can be changed from groups of five, to 10, to addition to subtraction. After the answer is done the students may check their work and it will tell the students if they need to keep working or applaud them on their work. The cows will go upside as the students click them, this will help eliminate double counting, tallies can be written which also help. The game is visually appealing, the cows flipping will entertain the students and aliens taking them away will also be interesting to the students. The game is a little hard to understand at first and took some hands on work with the applet to understand how to answer each question.

When I first opened the applet I was excited to figure it out and play with it. Once I started working with the game I realized it took some work ahead of time to understand how it works. I think if the teacher has the settings for the student done, so levels of addition, subtraction or grouping picked ahead of time. The teacher would also have to take time to explain what the students need to do to answer the addition/subtraction items versus the grouping. This applet could be used during a technology time of the day, during the math lesson, or be available during centers. Students get immediate feedback and get to learn in a fun way. 

Applet 2: Base Blocks Addition 

Source: http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/category_g_1_t_1.html

The applet provides addition problems using representations of the commonly used based 10 blocks. The students can drag the units, flats, longs, and blocks around the columns to help solve the problem. Visually the applet is very basic but is also nicely set up with the amount of columns the student/teacher decides to use. For first grade and kindergarten the option of using 2 columns is available to help keep answers lower. The teacher can even design questions to ask the students. This would be a good applet to open up and use on a SmartBoard. The students can drag the cubes around to make the longs and flats. I do believe the applet was confusing at first but then again they all are until they have been used enough to gain understanding. 

I would use this in my class on a SmartBoard if available. It was harder to move the cubes around with the mouse but on a SmartBoard students can use their hands, or even on an iPad. Being able to design questions is nice because some of them were out of the standards for K to second grade. If it did not have this option I would not want to use it in my class unless we had gifted students in math. This could then be used during center time in the math center. Once the student has the right groupings the answer will show up on the side of the screen. The feedback is immediate but might not make sense to the students. Also getting the blocks to group was difficult at times which could hinder the students experience. I do think the students can grow from this by using visual representations of the base 10 blocks in a fun way such as with technology! a