Running Head: ACTIVITIES USING TECHNOLOGY IN A MATH CLASSROOM

Activities using Technology in a Math Classroom

Technology resource File
Sara Jacks
Daytona State College

Authors Note: This paper was prepared November 10, 2014 for EME3434 Integrating
Technology into Mathematics and Science for Dr. Tashana Howse.

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Abstract
This paper will discuss four activities that can be used in Math classrooms. Two of these
activities can be used in a high school math classroom and the other two activities can be used in
a middle school math classroom. This paper will describe the activities this paper will explain
how the technology used in the activities will enhance learning. This paper will discuss
accommodations or modification of ESE and ELL students or how each of these activities will
be beneficial for ESE/ELL students.

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Activities using Technology in a Math Classroom

An activity using technology in a high school math classroom could be budgeting. This activity
will be most helpful in senior classes because these students have already made or are close to making
their plans for after high school. This activity could be designed to be as complex or a simple as the
students may need. In this activity students will research the jobs that they plan to have after graduating
high school. The students will find the salaries they are likely to have with these jobs. Advanced students
could do multiple jobs so they may compare. Students will also find apartments or homes in the area
that they would like to live once they have this job. Students will use the results of the salaries they have
and the rent in that area and determine what their budget would be for their other expenses i.e. food,
car, insurance, phone ect. Students will be using higher order thinking skills because they will be
required to problem solve and balance their budget for the year. The students could be asked questions
like Imagine your car breaks down and you must get a new one, based on what you have in savings and
what you have budgeted what you will do? What kind of car can you afford? another question students
could be asked is to assume they get sick or have incurred some injury that keeps them out of work
what will they do to ensure they can pay their bills, hospital bills ect. Using web searches and excel
students will be able to determine what their lifestyles would be like if they had said job, they could
compare this to having just graduated from high school, having a bachelors degree, and even compare
their results to having a masters degree. Students will be working with basic algebra so the objective of
this assignment would align to that of the Math for college readiness course. Students would be working
with percentages, ratios, and the applications of mathematical concepts to their lives. Students will be

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assessed on their understanding of the objectives based on how realistic and accurate their budgets are.
The main forms of technology students will be using are the web, and applications such as zwillo or hot
pads. The assistive technology will be the use of the excel sheet because they can make pie graphs to
determine how much of their budget will be going towards rent, food, insurance, activities, hobbies,
clothing. Accommodations for students with disabilities could be that the teacher provides the students
with simplified information so the student may still have to find a place to live using applications such as
zwillo but they may not have to do the research to determine how much they would make, or how
much insurance may cost on the car they want. The use of technology enhances this assignment
because students can actually see what they can afford with their budgets and this assignment will
prove quite effective for students whom do not plan to continue their education after high school
because they can clearly see that they will likely have more finical stability with a degree.
Another activity using technology that could be utilized in a high school math class would be a
blog or discussion activity. The teacher could ask the students to observe geometric shapes in their lives,
the students will be required to discover the surface area, volume, and area of these items. The students
will then participate in an online discussion about how their lives may be diffident if the surface area,
volume, or area of this item changed. For example if a student chose their fridge how would their life be
different if the volume of their fridge were to decrees significantly, how would their life be different if
the area of their TV increased significantly. A students expected response would be my Fridge is a
rectangular prism, its height is ____ its width is ___ and its depth is ___. Based on this I have discovered
that the surface area of my fridge is ___, its area is ____ and its volume is _____. If the volume were to
become 1 cubic foot my life would be greatly diffident because I would not be able to fit much food in it
and I would have to go to the store every day, or I would only be able to fit essential items. The students
would be asked to respond to each others posts. This activity would align to a geometry class the
objectives of this activity would be for students to use volume formulas for cylinders, spheres,

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pyramids, and cones to solve problems (Sciberus.com, P. 2014). The technology in this case enhances
the activity because the students are having a thoughtful discussion, and in this case each student is
participating. Where as in a face to face setting it is difficult to ensure that each student is provided with
an opportunity to speak and respond to a classmate. The virtual forum also provides students with an
opportunity to truly think about what their classmates are saying and develop a thoughtful response in
their own time. The online discussion accommodates students with disabilities because they are able to
work at their own pace, an accommodation that could assist a student with poor dexterity would be the
use of a speech to text device.
An activity using technology that could be utilized in a middles school math classroom is Kahoot.
Kahoot is an online web based response system it is similar to poll everywhere but it is designed as a
game, in the activity students would be broken into groups. The will be asked to create four problems
they believe may stump the other teams. Once all problems have been turned in the teacher will create
a quiz in Kahoot, the students will them play the game answering questions. In my classroom I would
play the Kahoot game at the end of each unit. I may also use it as door buster since the points earned
through the kahoot game is also based on the amount of time taken to respond and the correctness I
could use this tool to encourage students to get to my class promptly and start working. I would keep
track of the points for each unit and the group that has earned the most kahoot points will be rewarded
with the opportunity to choose if the class gets to play an additional review game, homework time, or
tech time. This use of technology enhances learning because it is game based, and engaging. Kahoot is
an easy to use application, and since the students get to play a role in creating the game they will be
more motivated to win it. Students will also be using higher order thinking when creating questions they
must be able to solve while trying to stump their classmates. The student created questions could be
required to fit within any standard or objective. This activity will benefit students with disabilities
because they will be working in collaborative groups, and the game tracks the students responses so

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the teacher will be able to easily recognize a struggling student, so the teacher can be sure to provide
that student with additional guidance prior to the assessment.
Another activity using technology that could be used in a middle school math classroom is have
students create a video explaining mathematical concepts, and present these to the class. The students
could also be asked to upload their video to the class website. For example a student teaching their
peers about parallel lines may describe a tragic love story between two lines that will never meet
because their slopes are the same. Turning mathematical concepts into stories requires higher order
thinking skills. The use of technology enhances this activity because the students are creating resource
files for their peers to refer to when struggling with a concept. This will activity will assist ESE and ESOL
students because they will be able to review the videos at any time. This activity can be designed to
align with any objectives, and the students would be assessed based on a rubric. The students could be
placed in groups with each group covering a different concept with in a unit, ensuring that each section
of the unit gets covered by the students. Each group would become an expert in their portion of the
unit.

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Resources
Sciberus.com, P. (2014). Search Standards | CPALMS.org. Cpalms.org. Retrieved 24 November 2014,
from
http://www.cpalms.org/Public/Search/CriteriaSearch?search=Standards&subjectId=37&gradeId
=14