Info: Mathboard for the iPad.
Cost: 4.99$What is it? Mathboard is an iPad app that can help students work out basic arithmetic problems with minimal intervention from the teacher.
How can it be used in the classroom? So far, we’ve used the Mathboard app in an individualized math classroom. Before the students arrived, the teacher and I selected which math problems (subtraction, addition, square root, etc..) would be generated by the iPads. We then paired same level students and asked them to work out the problems in the Mathboard app. The Mathboard app keeps a running tally of all the math problems the students worked on. As the students were working, we were able to see (at a glance) which math concepts the students were struggling with. What impressed me the most was how the students worked side-by-side and helped each other out on tricky concepts. Two groups worked together on one iPad, while another group used paper and pencil in conjunction with an iPad. The app also has a “chalkboard” mode which students can pull up and work out with a stylus (or their finger) directly on the iPad’s screen. It also has a “problem solver” mode which will explain how to solve the problems step-by-step, if the student is stuck. (Special thanks to Cathy Hortop and her group of individualized students, New Horizons, ETSB)
Benefits and limitations: The app costs 4.99$ which is relatively pricey for an iPad app. It also defaults to a multiple choice mode when the app is first installed. I’m not a fan of multiple choice as students can simply guess answers and throw off the teacher. Thankfully the settings in the app can be permanently changed so that the students have to manually input the correct answer. As a side note, it’s often difficult to find applications that deal with basic arithmetic that aren’t targeted for young children. Thankfully, the Mathboard interface is free of “cartoons, balloons, and puppy dogs” and is a perfect fit for adult education students!
Video Tutorial: For a video (4 minutes) how to use the Mathboard app, click the play button below:
