Homes, Apps, Websites, and Tools... in Education Today

Some interesting ideas I discovered recently about calculus-inspired homes, apps, education websites, and techie tools...

An Integral Part of Calculus / Dan Bach / CC BY 2.0

Calculus Inspired a Millionaire Mathematician's Curvy Home

http://www.ulive.com/video/millionaire-mathematicians-curvy-home-was-inspired-by-calculus

Can calculus can help you build a beautiful home?

Dr. James Stewart integrated his home in Toronto, Canada into its environment using calculus. Stewart is the author of many calculus textbooks used in the US and in Canada. His lovely home is known as the Integral House or the house that math built.

Be sure to view this video example of using mathematics in "everyday" life!

Student iPad School - 175 / Brad Flickinger / CC BY 2.0

From Classroom Word Games to Dynamic Graphs, There's an App for That

http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/From-classroom-word-games-to-dynamic-graphs-theres-an-app-for-that-320969911.html

Three educators share apps they use to help their students learn. One educator teaches middle school mathematics; another teaches second grade. The third is a librarian. The apps they suggest work well with a variety of subjects  and student ages.

The educators are Cathy Yenca (Texas), Erin Klein (Michigan), and Shannon McClintock Miller (Colorado).

The (very interesting!) apps they recommend are:

• appoLearning
• Book Creator
• Canva
• Casper Focus
• Code
• Desmos
• Livescribe
• Nearpod
• Osmo
• Tackk
• Whatwasthere

Education Website / Pixabay / CC0 1.0

Forty... Now Fifty Educational Websites for Your Summer 2015 Toolkit, Parts 1 through 5

http://www.techlearning.com/blogentry/9650

• Part 1...
• https://21centuryedtech.wordpress.com/2015/06/17/part-1-forty-educational-websites-for-your-summer-2015-toolkit/

• Part 2...
• https://21centuryedtech.wordpress.com/2015/07/02/part-2-forty-educational-websites-for-your-summer-2015-toolkit/

• Part 3...
• https://21centuryedtech.wordpress.com/2015/07/21/part-3-forty-educational-websites-for-your-summer-2015-toolkit/

• Part 4...
• https://21centuryedtech.wordpress.com/2015/07/28/part-4-forty-educational-websites-for-your-summer-2015-toolkit/

• Part 5...
• http://www.techlearning.com/blogentry/9650

The author...

• names each app
• lists key features/benefits and
• provides the URLs in this list of educational websites.

This list is a treasure chest to explore!

Technology Tools / Pixabay / CC0 1.0

What's New: New Tools for Schools

http://www.techlearning.com/resources/0003/whats-new-new-tools-for-schools/69512

This article provides lists of software, online resources, apps, and hardware to examine. The items listed vary from tools for teachers to tools for districts. Individual teachers and administrators both may find some useful ideas here.

Learning About Shapes (Geometric Polygons) and Creating Websites for Classroom Use

I taught mathematics for many years in grades 6 through 12. One of my favorite mathematics topics was--and still is--geometry. So, this week I enjoyed reading about two interesting approaches to learning about shapes (geometric polygons). One activity is for primary students; another, for teenagers. One is low-tech; the other, high-tech.

Colourful Street Art / Les Haines / CC BY 2.0

Kathy Cassidy teaches primary students (6 year olds) in Canada. This week her students worked with geometric shapes via an art activity. Read about her students' work and see the creations that the students posted on their blogs.

http://mscassidysclass.edublogs.org/2014/11/15/making-shapes/

 
Kyle Pearce teaches teenagers about mathematics and has used iPads to help his students learn. This week he reviewed Shape Lab, a new iPad app that allows students to draw and manipulate geometric shapes. Read about this interesting app on Pearce's blog.

http://tapintoteenminds.com/ipad-apps/shape-lab/

How to SEO Your Websites / SEOPlanter / CC BY 2.0

Some of my workshop participants last summer suggested several topics they would like me to offer in a workshop this next summer. One of those topics is the design and creation of websites for and by teachers and students. Yohana Desta lists five website creation sites (WordPress, Tumblr, Squarespace, Weebly, and Wix) and reviews each on the Mashable blog. She lists pros and cons for each and indicates if there are initial costs or ones that you may want to consider later. These sites are not evaluated from the perspective of an educator; however, I like to read how other folks evaluate technology and add that to my own perspective as an educator.
 
http://mashable.com/2014/11/16/personal-website-platforms/

What Color is Your World Website?

This week (February 2, 2014) I am sharing several useful ideas and resources that I discovered through my PLN. The topics are:

• free photos you can use

• using color appropriately on a website

• facilitating online courses and

• an introductory video for mobile learning.

Each of the four topics is in an individual post.

Cuadros / Natalie de Frutos / The Pattern Library

eLearning Design – Choosing the Right Color
http://www.knowledgedirectweb.com/elearning-design-choosing-color/#

When we design websites or put together online courses or activities the content, of course, is most important. However, our reaction to the content is colored (pun intended) by the colors used.

Do you know…

• Do we need to use a little or a lot of a warm color for it to make an impact?
• Are there any rules for what colors should be used for text?
• Which colors work well for colorblind students?
• What is the most liked color?
• What colors work well with children?
• Do those same colors work well with adults?

Check the eLearning website for answers to these questions and additional information. (Hint: an answer to one of these questions is blue.)