MakeUseOf Directory » teaching

Wolfram Education Portal: A Helpful Tool For Teachers To Deliver Math Concepts To Students

Umar — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 02:01:54 +0000

Wolfram has long been offering educational tools for teachers and students. Its latest is an online tool that offers teachers the ability to easily deliver math concepts to their students. The tool is called Wolfram Education Portal.

Wolfram Education Portal is a free to use online tool that helps teachers with the math courses they are teaching. Mainly the tool focuses on algebra and calculus. Among the many tools offered by the Education Portal, teachers will find an eTextbook, a lesson plan, demonstration tools such as graphs, and widgets such as calculators to solve questions quickly. Soon the site will be offering practice questions with answers.

To get started with the site, you will have to sign up for an account on it and then download its player through which you will be able to use the online tools.

Features:

A user-friendly web service.
Helps teachers teach math courses.
Supports algebra and calculus.
Offers numerous tools such as lesson plans, online textbooks, and widgets.
Similar tools: RhymenLearn and Mathematics In Movies.

Check out Wolfram Education Portal @ http://education.wolfram.com (By Umar from AllThatIsApple)

Code Cogs Equation Editor: Create Equations With Latex & Save Them For Later

Dave LeClair — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:01:38 +0000

Code Cogs Online Equation Editor is great for parents of home-schooled children who need to set up problems for their kids to solve. Using this handy editor you can create mathematical equations of all kinds with little or no coding skill required. Most of the equations are created by simply clicking on an image and filling in the numerals needed.

Once you have an equation created you can quickly adjust the size of the output and then save it as an image file to your computer for later use. It is a painless process for parents who need to set this sort of thing up for their kids, or anyone who wants to make some cool equations for any reason at all.

You can save certain base equations as favorites for later access. So if, for example, you were focused on Matrices, you could have them in your favorites for quicker access. Similarly, you can use the history feature to get access to the equations you have recently used.

Features:

Use Latex to make equations and save them as images for later.
Easy enough to use with little or no coding skill.
Save favorites for quicker access later.
Export to many popular image formats.
Adjust size and font of output.
Similar tools: Daum Equation Editor, Fooplot and Text2img.

Find Code Cogs Equation Editor @ homeschoolmath.net

Daum Equation Editor: Create & Edit Mathematical Equations [Chrome]

Umar — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 02:01:43 +0000

Working with mathematical equations is something very few text editors properly support. You usually have to install a fully-fledged math software to be able to write and edit such equations. Fortunately however there is a small sized alternative available called Daum Equation Editor.

Daum Equation Editor is a free to use browser tool that comes as a browser extension for Google Chrome. The extension provides you with an equation editing interface that lets you input equations in two ways. Firstly you can add equations and special signs using the top row of functions and then entering the numerical or variable values in the equation that appears. The second way is to type up the equation like you would in software like MATLAB.

Both ways, you will be able to get a clear visual picture of the equation that you can later choose to export to a simple text file or, if you want to keep the visual feel intact, you can export the equation to PNG image with a transparent background.

Features:

A user-friendly browser app.
Compatible with Google Chrome.
Lets you write and edit equations.
Lets you export equations to simple text file.
Lets you export equation to PNG image.
similar tools: Fooplot and Text2img.

Check Daum Equation Editor @ https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/dinfmiceliiomokeofbocegmacmagjhe (By Umar from AllThatIsApple)

19Pencils: Conveniently Discover & Share Educational Content

Hammad — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 20:01:53 +0000

19Pencils is an amazing online website for finding educational material. The material found on the website is partly taken from many different parts of the Internet while various users also present some on the website. Users can find and create custom quizzes, discover and share educational websites with other users and more.

To use the service, just visit the website and search for the thing you are looking for, for example “history” and the website will provide you with different websites that provide you with information about that subject. You can choose to view the website and check the information out, or even save the website to your favorites to view later.

Users can even create small websites for their classes regarding different subjects, and custom quizzes to test the skills of their students or readers.

Features

Discover and share educational material the easy way.
Ability to create custom quizzes and websites for students.
Create class websites.
Free and easy to use.

Check out 19Pencils @ http://19pencils.com

Coursekit: A Web App To Manage The Courses You Are Teaching

Umar — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 23:01:47 +0000

College teachers are always on the lookout for better ways to interact with their students. With technology bringing numerous innovations every day, teachers have a lot of interactive options to choose from. One of the best options available is a website called Coursekit.

Coursekit is a free to use web service for teachers and students. The site lets teachers manage any course they are teaching online. If you are the teacher, you can start by creating an account on the site. Next you fill in the details of your course such as the syllabus, calendars, resources, etc. You can invite students by providing them with an online course code that can be used by them to enroll.

You can also share grades of the course with students to keep them updated about their scores. All of these features work together to make Coursekit an excellent resource for teachers.

Features:

A user-friendly web service.
Lets you manage your courses online.
You can invite students to course via a course code.
You can share resources, syllabus, grades, and more through your online course page.
Similar tools: Udemy.
You can also read our 6 Really Good Sites with FREE Video Lectures from Top US Colleges.

Check out Coursekit @ www.coursekit.com (By Umar from AllthatIsApple)

ClassPager: Allows Teachers To Communicate With Their Students Through Text Messages

Dave LeClair — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 23:01:17 +0000

Teachers out there know how hard it can be to keep their students engaged. Many children own mobile phones now. It seems like kids are more interested in their mobile phones than the real world. It’s impossible for a teacher to fight it, so a service like Class Pager is useful. With Class Pager, teachers can embrace the world of texting with their students.

Class Pager allows teachers to engage students and parents though text messages without violating privacy and sharing phone numbers. Teachers simply register for the service and share their code with their students and parents of students. Then they can text the number and everyone on the list will receive the text. This is handy if a teacher needs to contact all their students to let them know about a change to an assignment or something of that nature.

Another handy use for this service is during the actual class. Since it is real-time, teachers can have students send their answers to questions via text, and save them the possible embarrassment of being wrong in front of the class.

Features:

One number for students and teachers to text.
Keep student and teacher privacy because no actual phone numbers are shared.
Real time communication with the group.
Free for one class, $9.99 for multiple classes.
No charge for students other than standard messaging rates with carrier.

Find Class Pager @ www.classpager.com

ClassParrot: Lets Teachers Send Group SMS Notifications To Students Without Having Their Numbers

Umar — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 21:01:01 +0000

Privacy is a huge concern while distributing your phone number, even if it is to your teacher. But SMS notifications remain the best way to receive reminders and important notices. Here to help teachers continue sending those notifications without having to take students phone numbers is a web service called ClassParrot.

If you are a teacher, you can sign up for a new account on the site and then name the course that you are teaching. Next you are given a phone number that you should share with students and parents along with a specific text they are required to SMS on that number – this action records their numbers into ClassParrot without revealing it to you. You can then use ClassParrot’s online interface to send SMS notifications to all people enrolled in your class. You can also schedule these SMS messages and hold SMS polls to gather opinions.

Although the site offers 500 free credits initially and then 200 free credits per month, teachers requiring more SMS credits can opt for the site’s premium packages.

Features:

A user-friendly web service.
Lets you send SMS notifications to people.
Targeted at teachers teaching school/college courses.
Lets you hold SMS polls.
Lets you schedule SMS messages.
Keeps recipients’ phone numbers private.

Check out ClassParrot @ http://classparrot.com (By Umar from AllThatIsApple)

SoapBox: Make Your Lecture Interactive With Real Time Audience Participation

TehseenBaweja — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 01:01:29 +0000

Many audience members often shy away from asking questions or challenging the speaker publicly. SoapBox easily solves that problem by creating a portal that lets audience members indicate their level of understanding along with asking questions to the speaker. It is totally online so nobody has to raise a hand or stand up. When somebody asks a question, others can vote it up or down. The students can also indicate with a click of a button that they are confused.

SoapBox is also great for creating polls and gathering data, filtering out inappropriate questions and letting users view the archived questions at nay time. Audience members can also answer each other questions to make the session more interactive. The speaker/teacher can also assign moderation of the event to somebody else.

Features:

Allow audience to actively participate in lectures.
Let audience ask questions and indicate understanding.
Create Polls and manage discussions.

Visit SoapBox @ http://gosoapbox.com [Via FreeTech4Teachers]

RealWorldMath: Use Google Earth To Teach Math Through Demonstrations

MOin — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 21:01:39 +0000

Teaching math can be a challenging task. If you are a math teacher, you could help your students by demonstrating mathematical concepts at work. Here to help you do this is a tool called RealWorldMath.

RealWorldMath is a web service that helps you teach math by demonstrating it in action. The site provides you with various tutorials. These tutorials correspond to different mathematical concepts and include a KMZ file. The KMZ file is to be used with Google Earth; the tutorial includes information on the KMZ file’s object and the target grade level.

The site includes many tutorials and helps you use Google Earth effectively to teach children math.

Features:

A user-friendly tool.
Helps teach mathematics.
Demonstrates math applications through Google Earth.
Provides tutorials on how to use the includes KMZ files.
Each tutorials includes detailed information and target grade level.
Similar tools: Multiplication Tool, Math-Aids, MathRun and MathTV.com.
Also read related articles:

Check out RealWorldMath @ www.realworldmath.org/Real_World_Math/RealWorldMath.org.html (via FreeTech4Teachers) (by MOin from ThumbPress)

SchoolSparks: Preschool & Kindergarten Resources For Parents

TehseenBaweja — Sun, 29 May 2011 01:02:32 +0000

Starting school is one of the most important events not only for kids but also for their parents. There are thousands of questions that need to be answered like Is my child ready to go to school? What skills does he need to succeed in his school? What kind of problems can he face and how to cope with them?

These are all important issues and SchoolSparks is an excellent resource to start your journey. Put together by Preschool and Kindergarten teachers, the website covers a wide variety of topics that can help you help your kids. It includes hundreds of free printable worksheets that you can use to help your child develop basic things like motor skills, recognizing language, letter/word awareness, math awareness and emotional and social development.

You can also take a quick assessment to see if your kid is indeed ready to start school or if he needs more development in a specific area. If he does need to grow more in a specific area like fine motor skills or emotional development or visual discrimination e.t.c., the website has a whole dedicated section where you can read detailed information around more than a dozen development areas, see helpful images and get tips to help your kids in that. The website also has some excellent information what kind of issues your kid will face early on and how to deal with them. As SchoolSparks correctly suggests, you are your kids most important teachers.

Features:

Information for parents with preschool and kindergarten kids.
Hundreds of free printable worksheets for basic development.
Take a school ready assessment to see where your child stands.
Helpful articles and tips on how to help kids in a particular area.
Information and help for parents on how to deal with certain issues.
No registration required.

Visit SchoolSparks @ www.schoolsparks.com