iPads and math

The Power of the iPad in Kindergarten

/ Kristi Meeuwse / 11 Comments

Technology won’t replace teachers, but teachers who don’t teach with technology will be replaced. -unknown

Last week, our school iPads were replaced.  We were very excited to exchange our iPad 2’s for the new iPad Air.  Our old iPads served us well but were suffering from frequent app crashes. The replacement took about a week…no small feat when you are talking about over 800 iPads. The excitement over the idea of new iPads was suddenly replaced with the knowledge that we would be without iPads for a few days. My kids quickly realized this and asked, “Um, how will we do our work with no iPads?”  I responded, “I’m not sure…maybe we will do some worksheets.” Puzzled, the kids responded with, “What are worksheets?” You see, they had never completed one before.

It was definitely like going back in time and I’m certain I don’t ever want to teach again without having those devices. My students were used to having choices about their day and about demonstrating their learning. I was used to personalizing their learning and serving as a facilitator while they directed themselves. Student-centered and student-directed learning is one of the keys to educational change.

So, now we have our beautiful new devices and the kids immediately went to work. Their work. We have been working on number stories in their math journals. Even though I’m providing the number stories, there is still choice. For example, Sam had 7 buttons.  Some were blue and some were yellow.  How many of each were there?

Here are a couple of samples from my kids:IMG_0004

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One was being a wise-guy, but still got the right number of buttons. By making these number stories open-ended, students have the ability to use multiple pathways to get to the answer. Another student and a partner, worked together to create what we call an “incredible equation”. One of the students was stronger in math (clearly, as he is able to multiply and divide at age 5) and the other was working on grade level. Together they made this:

IMG_0005

By letting my students work where they are, and not where a worksheet forces them to be, the sky is the limit. The iPads give my students the freedom to move on, to move up, and to be in charge of their learning.

So, yes, I am thrilled to have our iPads back. We saw first hand the power of the iPad in our classroom. Even though we have only 22 school days remaining, we are going strong to the end!

Today we will do exciting new things. Let’s get to it!

Using the iPad for Addition

/ Kristi Meeuwse / 1 Comment

The essence of mathematics is not to make simple things complicated, but to make complicated things simple. -S. Gudder

We have been working on adding recently in class.  We have used counters, fingers, blocks…you name it…if it’s countable, we’ve used it! Fortunately, we also have some apps that help us with addition also.  We have been using them to create addition problems and then put them in our Math Journals we have created in Book Creator.  You can see more information on these here.

First, we used dice.  We rolled the dice, took a picture in our Math Journal and then wrote our number sentences.  Here is an example:

dice

Another day, we used a number line.  I found the image online and uploaded into a shared folder in our Showbie app. The kids then downloaded the image into their Math Journal. They used the pen tool to make a starting dot, draw their “jumps” and their ending dot.  They then used the text tool to type their number sentence.  Here is an example using the number line:

number line

Another day, we used our Number Frames app to add and make ten.  The students chose their own equations and put red dots in the frame first, then filled remainder of the frame with blue dots.  Then they wrote their number sentence. After taking a screen shot, the children put it in their math journal. Here is an example:

ten frames

We also used an app called Number Pieces to add and make ten.  The students pulled over a set of ten and then chose 2 different color blocks to make the ten.  Then they wrote the number sentence, took a screen shot and added it to their math journal. Here is an example:

unit blocks

And lastly, we used our Felt Board app.  While we usually use this app for story telling and language, it has shapes and numbers as well.  The children chose their shapes and then used the numbers to make their number sentence. After taking a screen shot, they added it to the Math Journal.  Here is an example:

feltboardWith the exception of rolling the dice, I allow my students to choose their own number sentences.  It is a great way to give them voice and choice, it encourages them to think critically and independently.  Also, I find that some of my more advanced students will choose more difficult problems…ones where the sum is higher than ten, simply because they can.  I was also pleased to see a lot of different “impromptu” adding going on with other materials in the classroom during their choice time.

I encourage you to use a variety of apps and means to teach different skills.  You don’t have to have apps dedicated to the skill.  Get creative!  Better yet, let your students get creative and see what they come up with!

Today we will do exciting new things.  Let’s get to it!