Category Archives: Algebra 1
Nearpod, I Think I Love You
I used Nearpod presentations for several different lessons this week, and I think I’m in love! (If you’ve never heard of Nearpod, check out their website for a brief description.) To create the presentations I didn’t have to start from scratch … Continue reading
How Socrative Changed My Warm-Ups
My beginning-of-class routine has evolved over the course of my career. In the beginning, I simply did a “DO-NOW” which rarely involved mathematical thought at all. It was a daily reminder about having necessary materials out and being “with it” … Continue reading
I Am a Witness to Perplexity
My students have been studying ratios, rates and proportions. We’ve compared unit prices to find the “better buy” and found the heights of trees and flagpoles using their shadows and similar triangles. We’ve also converted rates using dimensional analysis (usually … Continue reading
iProductivity With TechChef4u: Student Workflow in the iClassroom
Recently our own “TechChef4u” Lisa Johnson gave a talk with her dynamic trio (additionally @iPadSammy and Yolanda Barker) at Tech and Learning’s Tech Forum here in Austin. Check out her List.ly with attention to #44 and #45 (Tanna Fiske is a fabulous technology-integrating colleague … Continue reading
Online Flash “Magic Gopher” – A Tasty Algebra Tidbit
When it comes to teaching middle school math, the afternoon before a holiday break calls for classroom creativity, especially after a morning field trip! (Yes that was my day, and frankly, my challenge!) I save the “Magic Gopher” for such … Continue reading
FactorMan Champion Shares Strategies
When I introduced my students to the free FactorMan app, I had no idea how it would impact some of them. It seems this app has really captured some students, so much so, that they are playing it on their own … Continue reading
Using the iPad to Test the Textbook: Snail Racing…?
The topic – direct variation The application – snail speeds An example from our text had us scratching our heads… not about the concept of direct variation, but rather… about how fast a snail can actually travel. When we encountered … Continue reading
With DocAS, Students *DO* Like Doing Math on the iPad
Our staff is brand-new to this 1-to-1 iPad gig. We help each other, share ideas, and seek help and feedback from our students. Recently, I heard a broad generalization about our 1-to-1 that irked me… The statement was that the students … Continue reading
Animator Free App Helps Students Understand Exponents
Every year, there is a concept with exponents that students just “don’t get” the first time around. Namely, the difference between expressions like (-2)^4 and -2^4 mystifies them. Some “don’t get” it the second or third time around. Throw variable … Continue reading
My First Flipbook with Animator Free
I have noticed several trends in my app-usage: 1) Most of the apps I use are not content-specific to mathematics. 2) Most of the apps I use are because techchef4u Lisa Johnson introduced them to me. The Animator Free app … Continue reading















