Virtual Maths Manipulatives for Middle School?

[rexboggs5]

Hi folks

I am a newbie ActivStudio user (and an oldbie Maths teacher : - ). Very newbie in fact - our ActivBoard and projector only arrived on Friday, so I not yet taught a lesson using an ActivBoard. I am getting very excited - I can hardly wait to teach my first lesson with my ActivBoard.

In the meantime I have been working my way through the tutorial and the user guide and have been creating a few Maths flipcharts. Some of the flipcharts that I have created are "virtual maths manipulatives", e.g. a flipchart with a virtual 5 x 5 geoboard and another with virtual fraction strips.

While doing this I was wondering if others had already done the same thing so I had a look through the Resources to see if these and other virtual Maths manipulatives had already been created and shared. I couldn't find any.

So the point of this thread is...

Are there some ActivStudio virtual maths manipulatives flipcharts already available on the web? If so, where? If not, is anyone interested in working with me in creating them? My focus is middle school (which in my school means Years 8 to 10).

Cheers

Rex

[airskeeter]

Rex,

Are you referring to thinking maps or graphic organizers?

There is a site called: NLVM (http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/vlibrary.html)

One of our partners in the US is Explore Learning for Math and Science.....

Explore Learning (http://www.explorelearning.com/)

I will try and post some of the thinking maps that I use, Later.

Bill

[Westlake]

Have you tried The Virtual Textbook http://www.virtualtextbook.co.uk/home.php
Excel-based (Excel 2002 or 2003) interactives for teaching mathematics.
Free samples for KS 1 & 2, KS 3 & 4 and AS/A-Level
Hilary

[rexboggs5]

> Are you referring to thinking maps or graphic organizers?

I wasn't but they sound interesting....

As I said in my post, I was looking more for ActivStudio flipcharts that were virtual geoboards, fraction kits, etc. For example, I might teach a lesson using a class set of real 5x5 Geoboards and use the ActivBoard as a virtual geoboard where students can come forward and demonstrate solutions to the problems they are solving.

> There is a site called: NLVM (http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/vlibrary.html)

I found this recently. It is fantastic, and it is free! Our Internet connection is a bit on the slow side - a 256K link for a school with 650 students :-( - so I would like to have a flipchart option as well as websites.


> One of our partners in the US is Explore Learning for Math and Science.....

Appears to be a fantastic site as well, but there is no price on the website, rather you ring and discuss your needs with them which makes me think it will be very expensive.


> I will try and post some of the thinking maps that I use, Later.

I appreciate that.

And I will put up my first attempt at a geoboard so you can see what I mean.....

Cheers

Rex

[jtw521]

There are plenty that can be downloaded from the DfES site

http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/keystage3/respub/ma_itp

Some are very good, depends on what you are after.

[Daniel Bunker]

Interactive- Resources have demo versions of geoboards in their maths pack 2 CD.

Attached is a simple geoboard idea that's made from a dotty grid. The point to point tool would work well for modelling solutions to the class or group. The attached flipchart also contains an embeded virtual pinboard on page 2 and links to the demo versions from interactive-resources on page 3.

Dan

[Dave Harrington]

NLVM is an excellent resource. :) Another good one is wisweb
http://www.fi.uu.nl/wisweb/en/
The building houses is excellent! :cool: (Some ot the others are a bit strange though- perhaps they lose something in translation?):eek:

D Harrington