Fractions

Overview

Curator: Jessica Johnson

 

Name & Link to Tech Tool: http://my.hrw.com/math06_07/nsmedia/tools/Decimal_Fractions/Decimal_Fractions.swf

 

Brief Description of Tech Tool: This tool allows students to use virtual grids to solve addition, subtraction and multiplication problems involving fractions or decimals. Students can manipulate how many grids are needed as well, as how many rows and columns.

 

Evaluation

Description of Learning Activity: This tech tool could be used when presenting how to add, subtract, or multiply decimals and fractions. This tool allows students to visualize how these operations work when working with fractions and decimals. This visualization would help students create an explanation for these objectives. This tool could also be used individually by students when solving addition, subtraction or multiplication problems involving decimals and fractions.

 

1. Learning Activity Types

LA-Present - (read or attend to) presentation of new content/ideas

LA-Present-Explain - explanation

LA-Explore - exploring/investigating mathematical ideas

 

2. What mathematics is being learned?

• NCTM Standards:

  • NCTM-N&0-understand numbers- understand numbers, ways of representing numbers, relationships among numbers, and number systems; The online grid lets you see how fractions and decimals represent parts of a whole.

  • NCTM-N&0-understand operations - understand meanings of operations and how they relate to one another;

  • NCTM-N&0-compute fluently - compute fluently and make reasonable estimates. The use of models helps ensure accuracy in students' computation.

 

• Proficiency Strands:

  • PS-conceptual understanding: The use of models help students understand what each fraction or decimal represents and build a stronger understanding of what each operations represents.

  • PS-procedural fluency: The use of manipulatives provided in this tech tool help students visualize their mathematical thinking so they are evaluation the equations accurately.

 

3. How is the mathematics represented?

Fraction/ Decimal Grid is a virtual manipulative. It helps students understand when working with fractions and decimals that they are working with parts of a whole. This helps them visualize how to perform different operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication). This tech tool is easy to manipulate so students can customize it to whatever problem they are solving.

 

4. What role does technology play?

I believe the major advantage of this tech tool is that it allows students to visualize how the problem is solved. It is very easy to use so students could use it to model their thinking and accurately solve their task. However, it is a very simple tech tool so does not have many other uses which could seen as a downfall.

• Affordances of Technology for Supporting Learning:

  • Representing Ideas & Thinking - This allows students to see through virtual manipulatives how they solve addition, subtraction and multiplication problems with fractions and decimals.

 

5. How does the technology fit or interact with the social context of learning?

This could be used as part of your mini-lesson as you introduce the concept or it could be used whole class as they solve problems involving fractions or decimals. I see this being useful for my strategy groups of students who need intervention with addition, subtraction or multiplication with fractions or decimals.6. What do teachers and learners need to know?This technology aspect of the tool was pretty sel‍f explanatory and easy to use‍. However, students need to understand how grid models work with decimals and fractions.