The following are reviews of applets/apps that I found useful for grades K-2 in the content area of measurement & data and analysis & geometry:
Applet #1: Time - Match Clocks
From the National Library of Virtual Manipulatives
This applet is a great way for students to practice telling time using both a digital and analog clock. Many students struggle with telling time on a regular, analog clock, especially in today's day and age of electronics. The applet features a digital clock on one side of the screen and an analog clock on the other side. The analog clock is set to a specific time, and the player is asked to change the digital clock to the time that the analog clock reads. The players use hour and minute arrows, respectively, to change the time on the digital clock. If they are able to change it to the correct time that is displayed on the analog clock, they have a "correct!" notice appear. Then, they can click for a new problem. The applet is easy to use and young students would likely be able to pick up on it easily. Visually, the applet is not extremely appealing with its grey background and blue areas within. I believe that the applet is challenging for students who are beginning to work with telling time.
I believe that this applet could greatly assist students in learning the concepts of telling time. The applet actually requires players to think about the time that is displayed on the analog clock. This is often a difficult task for young students just learning to tell time, so I think that this applet would help struggling students. One way a teacher could assess his or her students on their utilization of this app would be to have students write down both the analog clock reading and the digital clock reading on paper for each of their rounds in the game. The teacher could provide students with clock templates for them to fill in. The teacher could then see if the students really are following the game correctly and correctly finding the time. Some strengths of this applet are that it is easy to use, it involves the use of minutes and not just exact hours for each problem, and players can skip questions if they cannot figure out the correct time. One large weakness of this applet is that players do not work with changing the hour and minute hands of the analog clock. They only read the clock and then report the time using the digital clock. I think students would benefit by both reading and manipulating the analog clock, which this applet does not offer. Another weakness in this applet is that it is not very visually appealing, which may lead to young students losing interest after a while. In addition, every new game starts with the same order of times. Some students who use this regularly may start memorizing the times and not take any meaning away from using the applet.
Applet #2: Geoboard
From the National Library of Visual Manipulatives
This applet is a great way for students to practice creating geometric shapes. One of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics in 2nd grade requires students to work with geometric shapes and to partition a rectangle into smaller rows, columns, and squares of equal size. This applet would be a great way for students to practice that standard. Students can use the geoboard to construct various shapes to their liking. Shapes can be small or large, depending on how the student stretches the bands. Irregular shapes can also be created. Students can choose to color code different shapes. In addition, students can find the perimeter and area of the shapes that they create on the geoboard. The applet is fairly easy to use, but the students may need to be shown how to create their shapes with the bands (this was a little tricky at first). Visually, the app is quite appealing, especially with the various colors that students can shade their shapes with. On a side bar within the applet, there were activity suggestions for students who might be stuck or not know what to do on the applet.
Students could learn a lot from this applet. First, students could work to create various geometric shapes that they are learning about in mathematics. After doing this, advanced students could use the measure tool to find the perimeter and area of the shape. This concept of perimeter and area may be too advanced for most 2nd graders, however. One way to make the idea of area easier for young students would be to have them create regular rectangles, and ask them to count each individual square within the large rectangle. This is area, but an easier way of explaining the concept. Teachers could assess their students using this applet by giving students specific shapes to construct on the geoboard. Then, students would have the count the individual boxes within the shape and report their findings. Students could even print their virtual geoboard for the teacher to look at. Some strengths of this applet are that it is not visually overwhelming for students, and it provides suggestions on the side for student activities. One weakness of this applet is that it may be somewhat difficult for students to initially figure out how to use. This could be dealt with by the teacher demonstrating how to use the applet beforehand. Additionally, the geoboard is not huge, so students can only construct a few small or one large shape on each geoboard without having to clear it.
App #1: 2nd Grade Splash Math Games
From the iTunes Store - free app
This is a free app that can be downloaded on iPhones or iPads. The app itself has tons of games and activities for various areas of 2nd grade mathematics. However, for this review, I will be focusing on the measurement, time, and geometry sections of the app. Within each section is a game relating to that mathematical topic. Students answer questions and then are rewarded with an exciting tone if they answer correctly. Then, they move onto another question. The questions are read aloud to the player, so headphones would be needed. Students can leave the game at any time and return to the home screen to select another math section to practice. The app itself is very easy to use and is extremely visually appealing. The colors are very bright and the sounds are cute, which may help students to stay interested and excited about using the app. I feel that this app is challenging for students, and may be too challenging at times. Some of the questions in the games may not have been covered yet, so students may not know everything. However, I think this is acceptable, because it will introduce them to concepts they will be learning in the near future.
This app would allow students to learn a lot about mathematics in 2nd grade. In addition to measurement, time, and geometry, multiple other sections of mathematics are available for students to practice. The questions asked in each section are clearly written for students to understand. Even if students did not know the answers, it is still good practice for them to experience. One of the strengths of this app is that it is very visually appealing and the sounds are exciting for students to hear. Another strength is that it keeps track of individual students that play, and even can send reports to an identified email address. The teacher could potentially use this feature as a mode of assessment for students using this app. He or she could have reports sent to their email about student progress to make sure that the students are actually utilizing the app correctly and making progression throughout it. If this did not work for assessment purposes, the teacher could have students log the areas they worked with on the app each time they used it. This way, the teacher could make sure students are using correct sections of the app. One weakness of this app is that it can only be downloaded on Apple devices. I tried finding it on my Samsung device, and had no such luck. Additionally, headphones would be needed when using this app because of loud sounds. It may also be difficult to keep track of student progress if multiple students are using the app on the same device.
Very nice job!! Thanks Kaitlin:)
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