Today we explored using technology to teach math. We used various types of programs such as: Tinkerpots, Geometer's SketchPad and Gizmos. Out of all those programs Gizmos really stood out to me. I think that Gizmos are very easy to create and use, especially for pre-service teacher's who are still trying to improve their understanding of Math. What I love about this program is that a teacher can create a class account and they can pre-select Gizmos that students can use. This is helpful because it allows for students to remain on task and also for the teacher to have an organized list of Gizmos for different units. Gizmos are interactive and allow students to develop a conceptual understanding of mathematical topics.
One of my classmates used Gizmos to teach patterns. I thought it was really neat because it allowed you time to enter your answer in, and also allowed you to self-reflect if you got the answer wrong. That is, if I got the answer wrong I could clear it and I would try again. What I thought was really effective was that my classmates created a scenario or word problem to go along with the Gizmos.
This is a very effective approach because it allows students to stay focused on the task because they are trying to solve the problem using Gizmos---rather than have them simply play. After this class, I decided to explore some videos of student opinion on this particular program. The general consensus with all the students is that the interactive and simulation aspect of Gizmos engages students and allows them connect mathematical concepts to the games they are playing.
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