Artifact 5

Impact: This math software is a great way to get all children involved in math. It involves having students work in heterogeneous groups to solve math problems that are told in crazy stories. The children have to learn to help each other understand the math problem and they also have to learn how to write the answer to the problem without using numbers. This software is a great way to incorporate math and writing together.

Alignment: This software is great to use in the beginning of the year to assess student’s math abilities and to get students into groups to work with each other. The math problems that proposed in this program are basically a review from things that they learned at the end of third grade. It would server as a review to the students and also gives the teacher a chance to see how the students go about thinking about math problems. I choose this software because it is a fun and interactive way to get the students involved in math and writing. This math program provides the math problems with a context to go with the numbers. It is easier for students to think about and work on numbers that are not “naked numbers.” That is they have a story to go along with them. (Tech Comp. 11.2) This math program involves students working in groups to find the answer to math problems by using a variety of methods. The students in the group are responsible for making sure that everyone in the group knows the answer to the problems asked and how to get those answers. This will help all the different learning levels in the classroom because the higher math students would be teaching to lower math students. The lower students would get help from many people in their group. (Tech Comp. 13.1) This computer software is specifically targeted to the discipline of mathematics. “Fizz and Martina’s Math Adventures” is a group oriented math program, that enables students to think about math, write about math, and do math with a context. (Tech Comp. 11.3) This math program fosters active inquiry, collaboration, and interaction in the classroom among the students. It is designed to involve all the children in the classroom and the teacher with the characters in the program. This media communication of the math problems is an effective way of transferring knowledge to the students. (INTASK 6)