Technofy

The lesson that I chose to technofy concerns the geometry concepts of translation, reflection, and rotations.  The lesson is written using a Smartboard for introducing the concepts... Hey, that's tech, I hear you saying.  What I want to technofy is the application for the students.  In the lesson after introduction with the Smartboard the application for the students is------ you guessed it, dreaded worksheets!  So the teacher gets to use the tech and the students get to take home worksheets.  If I replace the Smartboard with the overhead then this is the same lesson that I did in 4th grade, in 1984...  Not the book 1984, the year!

I plan to technofy this lesson with an Ipad app, SymShuffle.  The app replaces the worksheets.  The beauty of this app is that students can choose the figure to translate, rotate, or reflect.  I choose cows and cute monsters.  Also, students can choose the grid size.  This is the easy grid size.  Students enjoy differentiate application through the different choices.  As students become more proficient they move onto the challenge mode, which penalizes you for retracing your steps.  Ugghhh, ask me about my personal best!  There is also a timed mode.

Geometry concepts can be tough for kids and adults because you have to visualize.  We tech the concept, do some worksheets, take a test, and move on.  I think this is a disservice to students.  Ever wonder why we have to reteach, reteach and reteach basic concepts------ students didn't actually learn it.  

Now, I will take up my Ipad in education soap box------  There are so many apps like SymShuffle that can replace worksheets for many math concepts.  I know that worksheets are easy (for teachers) and there are about a billion resources to obtain them.  Students HATE them. 
 I know that students needs practice, especially in a math setting.  Why not an app?  SymShuffle provides more practice than worksheets with all of the various figures, grids, and timing options.  

A word about dreaded worksheets, as I said students HATE them.  As a parent I enjoy the vantage point of seeing what comes home for homework.  Yep, mostly math worksheets!  Of course, the rational is: students need practice to become proficient in math.  I agree that students need practice, I don't agree that worksheets are the best way to get that practice.  What about real world math?  What about kitchen math?  What about nature math?  What about app math?

If you offer a 4th grader the option of practicing math with an Ipad or a worksheet, Which one would they choose?  Which one would you choose?