Laptops In Lessons
Using Internet access devices in Mathematics lessons
Using Internet access devices in Mathematics lessons
Studying Mathematics with a computer is still learning like any other. A variety of activities is essential for three reasons. Firstly, everyone has a preferred learning style, and varied tasks are likely to include opportunities that suit that style. Secondly, students should not rely only on their preferred style; being introduced to different ways of learning can deepen understanding of a topic. Finally, variety is the spice of life and helps prevent boredom.
Tables Grab - a lively warm up for some of our Y5 maths students today @Transum pic.twitter.com/OIYXBIGf7f
— Karen Donnelly (@KarenDonnelly16) August 11, 2017
This area of the Transum website is designed to provide ideas for different ways to use laptops in Mathematics lessons. Each of the ideas presented below has been used very successfully with secondary school-aged children. Each type of activity suggested here has seen students really engaged in their Mathematics. It is important, however, to make sure the learning accomplished with the technology adds value beyond what could be done without it. If the technology becomes superfluous, the traditional exercise book may be sufficient.
Being organised and not losing sight of the big picture is an important aspect of learning Mathematics. Traditionally students have used an exercise book or a ring binder in which they keep their notes and their solutions to problems. In moving to a laptop, the student will need to develop different ways to organise their work and their time. This may include a logical system of folders in cloud storage (for example OneDrive or Google Drive), a digital calendar for deadlines, and a particular piece of software for note-taking.
Microsoft OneNote can be used as an electronic Mathematics notebook to keep a record of work completed on a computer. OneNote assists in:
OneNote works much like a paper exercise book or folder of notes. It can be divided into sections (Maths strands or topics) with pages, and even section groups. It is easy to organise and, unlike a paper book, is searchable so information can be found again. OneNote saves notes automatically and syncs them across devices.
In addition to being a great place to store notes and other content, OneNote also supports quick calculations. Type an expression anywhere on the page (for example 2^5 + 3*7 =) and press Space or Enter to evaluate it. You can also use the Math tool to convert handwritten expressions, solve, and graph where enabled by your school’s settings.
You can use dynamic geometry tools such as GeoGebra (free) or Desmos Geometry to draw shapes that can move. This makes teaching dynamic geometry far more meaningful than the static diagrams textbooks are limited to. However, students may prefer to use software they are familiar with, such as PowerPoint or Google Slides, which allow simple animations to be created very quickly.
Could your students produce a PowerPoint or Google Slides deck to demonstrate rotations, translations, reflections, enlargements and mixed transformations?
Our ultimate aim for Mathematics students is to enable them to operate independently and solve new problems. Investigations are excellent for developing the inquisitive mind and laptops are the perfect tools to support investigative work.
We have become so familiar with spreadsheets that we forget what a great tool they can be for investigating number patterns and relationships. Our favourite example is to use a spreadsheet to recreate the Lemon Law starter.
Four one-digit numbers are typed in the cells B1, B2, C1 and C2.
In cell D1 the formula is =10*B1+C1
Similar formulas are entered into cells D2, B3 and C3.
In cell D3 the formula is =D1+D2+B3+C3
The challenge is to change the numbers in B1, B2, C1 and C2 so that the D3 total is 88.
Investigate further to see which totals are and are not possible in D3 by changing the numbers in the yellow cells.
Other good problems that a spreadsheet can help explore are the Prison Cell Problem, Hotel Digital and Aunt Lucy's Legacy.
The power of technology is not fully utilised if we only use computers to access scanned copies of traditional textbooks. MyMaths is an online alternative to the textbook. Students can interact with the system, which provides instant feedback about their Mathematics.
Of course this Transum site provides lots of resources too. Here is an example showing how the content can be more than just textbooks online: Hi-Lo Prediction, a version of the “Play Your Cards Right” TV show. There is a lot written about games for learning and how much better they can be than doing exercises. This activity proves the point. Students will work out many simple probabilities while also thinking about what those probabilities mean when it comes to betting.
Here is an example of paired work in Mathematics called Pattern Clues. Even though the world has been working towards a one-to-one ratio of students to computers, it is sometimes a better learning experience if students work in small groups sharing a computer.
A set of clues produces a given pattern in a five by five grid. The clues are available on cards which are randomly distributed between the two (or more) students sharing one computer. Each student can read out a clue but they cannot show their cards to anyone else.
Students may find using laptops very useful for coursework assignments in Mathematics and other subjects. When they master the finer points of the available software, they remove obstacles to their creativity. Laptops facilitate many ways to store, analyse and present data that the creative student can use to wonderful effect.
Here is a way to use a very familiar tool in a Mathematics lesson. It provides pace and speedy feedback for the teacher. The activity we will model is called Smallest Number. In the first minute of the activity each person submits a response via a quick Microsoft Form or Google Form. The prompt is “Number” and there is a single short-answer field in which they type a positive whole number (a Natural Number). The winner is the person who submits the smallest number that nobody else has chosen.
Other lesson starter activities using a quick form or poll include asking students to type in the most:
If your lesson starts at 9:00am you could add that the time stamp on their submissions must be earlier than 9:07am.
“To work out the probability of a drawing pin landing point up, students conduct an experiment in which a drawing pin is dropped many times. If the pin lands point up on x occasions out of a total number of N trials, the relative frequency of landing point up is x/N. When an experiment is repeated many times we can use the relative frequency as an estimate of the probability of the event occurring. That is Pin Probability.”
We included this example to show collaboration between students. They can collaborate to gather the data in the first instance, then collaborate to produce a report or extend this activity to more complex probability situations.
Students are never too old to learn their times tables. Fast Factors and Tablesmaster allow students to time themselves answering times tables questions. They can record their scores in a spreadsheet and work to achieve their personal best. These two programs also allow you to have a class competition and the system produces a table of scores.
Excel and Microsoft 365 include Sparklines for showing progress. Google Sheets also has a SPARKLINE function for quick, in-cell charts.
Writing mathematical notation on a Windows PC is now straightforward. For most school work the quickest options are built into Microsoft 365 apps.
Word, PowerPoint and Excel: press Alt+= to insert an equation box, then type using either linear input or LaTeX. You can also choose Insert > Equation > Ink Equation to write with a pen, touchscreen or mouse. Handwriting is converted to a fully editable equation.
OneNote: write your maths with a pen or mouse, lasso the ink, and select Math to convert it to typed notation. You can then copy or edit it, and schools with the feature enabled can view worked steps.
Windows 11 handwriting support: if the Ink Equation dialog does not appear, install the optional “Math Recognizer” component in Settings > Apps > Optional features. This provides the handwriting recognition used by Office.
Web pages and VLEs: many platforms accept LaTeX and render it with tools such as MathJax. Word’s equation editor can also be set to interpret LaTeX input, which helps pupils learn a portable syntax.
Do you have any comments? It is always useful to receive feedback and helps make this free resource even more useful for those learning Mathematics anywhere in the world. What is your experience of using laptops in lessons? Do you have any good ideas or suggestions? Click here to enter your comments.
Callum Arthur,
Tuesday, August 29, 2017