Very often we see digital tools used in math class for students to demonstrate understanding (assessment) or practice skills they've already acquired. When we limit the tools in this way, we miss a key opportunity to enhance learning during the meaning making phase.
In my math class, my students use tech to make meaning by exploring, interacting, investigating, and testing ideas. My two favorite digital tools for learning in math class are Desmos and Polypad.
Desmos
I created these templates with Desmos as starting points for my students to explore tables, graphs, and pattern rules.
- Given the y-coordinate is 3 more than the x-coordinate
- Given the y-coordinate is 3 times as much as the x-coordinate
- Given the y-coordinate is 1 more than 3 times as much as the x-coordinate
My students were able to use the given rule (in the example above, y is 1 more than 3 times as much as x) to create a table of values and watch the points being plotted on the coordinate plane immediately. They watched for the points to line up as they appeared on the graph. Then, they wrote the rule in the form of y=3x+1 and observed this line going through the points they created. Finally, they created two other points that fell on the line.
This activity was timed to follow paper/pencil graphing of pattern rules so they were equipped to determine the accuracy of the values they entered into the graphing tool.
The mathematical accuracy as they attended to the precision of the exploration is not lost on my 5th graders. They are using the same tool high school and college students use to investigate mathematical relationships. This is intentional because I believe they are capable of using this tool to explore concepts at their level of developmental understanding.
Polypad
I created this Polypad template as a learning experience for my students to explore creating a rule to generate a number pattern and plot the points on a coordinate grid.
The animation and sound effects of the function machine in Polypad are a winner in my book. I love the slight pause after the student drops an x-value into the machine before the y-value is produced. This gives the students a moment to think about what they expect to happen!
My students have experience using Polypad, so they already know how to zoom and move around the canvas, and navigate the tabs and folders.
I heard my students' excitement as they dropped values into the function machines, watched the scatterplot appear, and discovered the pattern rule. And, my students are very interested in large numbers and some tested the function machines with the greatest number they could create. This aspect of play brings in the joy to the experience and allows the students to safely try, fail, and try again.
Learn more about using Function Machines in Polypad.
Below is an image of a completed set of function machines, tables, and graphs. I used a consistent color palette so we could discuss them consistently.
How are you using tech for your students to make meaning of math concepts? Please share in the comments.
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