Happy Mother’s Day AND Teacher Appreciation! Here are my gifts to you: FREE APPS and Sites to help your children (and students) learn math!!! Read on!

These past three days I got to geek it up at the NCTM annual conference in San Francisco. I have gone to several annual conferences, but this was the first time I worked in an exhibitor booth rather than attending as a participant. I was excited to be on the other side of the conference scene, but sad that I wasn’t sitting on the carpet (like so many) scouring the magazine o’ options for the perfect sessions.

As a teacher, I would ditch the exposition hall (except to get the free Legos and swag for my boys!) and attend every session I could. I would take copious notes, trying hard not to miss anything that was said in case THAT was my take away for the trip. Those fabulous notebooks that I poured my 72 hours of the conference into gather dust in a box in the garage. Don’t get me wrong; I would typically use 3-5 ideas/worksheets/tasks/quotes per conference. But was that worth the hours I sat in the back of a crowded room? Was there more to the conference than the sessions?

YES! This year I attended a single 60 min session and got several great ideas for a district I work with. The rest of my time was spent in the exhibition hall talking to reps (and long-time friends!), discussing mathematics, and truly learning from one another in a more intimate setting. I learned so much in these conversations, AND spent time at many vendor booths playing with the technology that I believe can truly make a difference in how students view mathematics. Though I am still grappling with the lack of notes in my handy-dandy notebook, I feel I am leaving with far more applicable ideas and tools than ever before!

The links below are (free!) sites you and your child can explore to really learn mathematics. They allow students to truly see what is going on and why the math “is what it is”. I hope this summer you are able to spend some time on these sites and give your students an opportunity to open up mathematics in amazing ways.  

Note to teachers: These are open source and free to use on your devices at school. You are welcome!

NumFu: http://www.origoeducation.com/num-fu/?mageloc=US

Currently their Mastering Addition Facts app is free. Get it now before they change this! Students work on their math facts in a developmental way, understanding as they gain mastery. (They do have a multiplication app as well, but it is not free.)

DESMOS: https://www.desmos.com/

This is a site that allows you to graph functions, plot tables of data, evaluate equations, explore transformations, and much more!

Geogebra: http://www.geogebra.org/

Geogebra makes a link between geometry and algebra using visual representations students can manipulate and finally see what is going on mathematically.

Math Learning Center: http://mathlearningcenter.org/apps

These apps are amazing! So many to choose from to help students conceptually understand mathematics. There are number lines, geoboards, money pieces with a number rack, rekenreks, ten frames, pattern blocks and more! Just allowing your child to play with these apps will enhance their understanding of number! Here are just a few from the site:

 Finally, this is a book that came highly recommended. Though not free, it can be a support for parents in navigating Common Core mathematics. (It does come with videos as well!)

http://www.amazon.com/Common-Parents-Dummies-Videos-Online/dp/1119013933