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This site offers an interactive way to assess your class by connecting your students to your lessons and response to every question on a range of devices, including mobiles. Make a virtual room and set up assessment quizzes, share links instantly and even get students to draw a response to your questions in real time. The data is collated so you can see where your students need more input. http://ictmagic.wikispaces.com/Planning+%26+Assessment

Abstract: "A mobile learning research project was conducted in Trinidad and Tobago to determine if mobile learning can assist high school students in learning mathematics. Several innovative techniques were used in this research to address the problem of high failure rates of mathematics in high schools in the Caribbean. A mobile learning application was developed based on a subset of the high school mathematics curriculum used in the English-speaking Caribbean. Game-based learning, personalization and multiple learning strategies were used in conjunction with mobile learning to assist students in improving their performance in mathematics. Three evaluation studies were conducted with the mobile learning application. During the studies, usage data was captured automatically by the system and this was used to determine the extent to which the students actually used the mobile application. At the end of each study, a questionnaire was used to capture student opinions of the mobile learning application. Questionnaire data is based solely on student responses and there is no guarantee of its accuracy and reliability. This paper focuses on the responses of the students to the questionnaire and seeks to determine if the usage data can increase the reliability of the questionnaire data. It summarizes the behaviour patterns of the students gleaned from the usage logs and compares this to the students' responses to the questionnaire. Generally it was found that the students' responses agreed with the usage data, though there were occasions when the responses diverged."

A response to Hacker's opinion piece in the Sunday New York Times, "Is Algebra Necessary," which argues for its usefulness, calls for better teaching, while acknowledges the difficulties of making that happen. Links to other blog responses to Hacker's piece.

"With Time Warner Cable support, Common Sense Media is making their new Digital Passport mobile app for Android and iOS operating systems available for free to the public through August 31, 2013. Designed for kids ages 8-12, the Digital Passport app features engaging games and videos to teach children the basics of being safe and responsible in the digital world. Get smart, stay safe and navigate responsibly this summer!"

From the abstract: "ew innovations by math- ematicians themselves are starting to harness the power of social computation to create new modes of mathematical production. We study the effectiveness of one such system, and make proposals for enhancement, drawing on AI and computer based mathematics. We analyse the content of a sample of questions and responses in the community ques- tion answering system for research mathematicians, math- overflow . We find that mathoverflow is very effective, with 90% of our sample of questions answered completely or in part. A typical response is an informal dialogue, allowing error and speculation, rather than rigorous mathematical argument: 37% of our sample discussions acknowledged er- ror. Responses typically present information known to the respondent, and readily checked by other users: thus the effectiveness of mathoverflow comes from information shar- ing. We conclude that extending and the power and reach of mathoverflow through a combination of people and machines raises new challenges for artificial intelligence and compu ta- tional mathematics, in particular how to handle error, anal - ogy and informal reasoning."

Abstract: "This study examined the benefits and challenges associated with implementing RtI [Response to Intervention] in the area of math ematics in an elementary and a middle school in a rural district in the northeastern United States. We sought to document the ways in which two schools approached implementation of RtI and to explore the issues they encountered with respect to instruction , intervention, and assessment. Five themes were identified that described implementation of the RtI framework: Shifting roles and changing structures, increasing opportunities for collaboration and communication, inc reasing instruction al an d assessment su pport for students who struggle in math, increasing knowledge of support strategies for learners who struggle with math, and "spreading the word" and enhancing the use of the model. The results of this study suggest that the RtI model has potential to impr ove how math instruction is approached in elementary and middle schools. "

(abstract only, full text requires subscription or purchase) "We analyze the logs of an online mathematics game tournament, played simultaneously by thousands of students. Nearly 10,000 students, coming from 356 schools from all regions in Chile, registered to the fourth tournament instance. The children play in teams of 12 students from the same class, and send their personal bets to a central server every 2 minutes. Each competition lasts about one clock hour and takes place within school hours. Students are pre-registered and trained by their school teacher. The teacher is responsible for reviewing curriculum contents useful for improving performance at the game and coaches students participating in trial tournaments taking place a few weeks before the national tournament. All bets are recorded in a database that enables us to analyze later the sequence of bets made by each student. Using cluster analysis with this information, we have identified three types of players, each with a well-defined strategy. "

Electronic tutoring system, to help students with standardized tests gauges students' responses as they learn, received a ONR grant http://www.umass.edu/newsoffice/newsreleases/articles/148281.php

Statistics that lie! This is a great example of data that isn't reported correctly. The article decries the death of Netbooks, when in fact it is more about a stabalization of sales. I encourage math teachers to let students read the article and at least the first two responses. It's a great example of blatant misinformation. 

From the abstract: "We tested the hypothesis that certain aspects of nonperceptible Euclidian geometry map onto intuitions of space that are present in all humans, even in the absence of formal mathematical education. Our tests probed intuitions of points, lines, and surfaces in participants from an indigene group in the Amazon, the Mundurucu, as well as adults and age-matched children controls from the United States and France and younger US children without education in geometry. The responses of Mundurucu adults and children converged with that of mathematically educated adults and children and revealed an intuitive understanding of essential properties of Euclidean geometry." (Full text requires subscription.

"I often sit on a Thursday evening about 2000hrs and watch the ukedchat hashtag. This week it was about physical education. Although this is not one of my strong subjects in teaching (or even in real life) I was interested in the first question which asked how physical education could be related to literacy and/or mathematics. Just like a GSCE multiple choice essay question I chose to answer how it could be related to mathematics. You can see the full tweet chat conversation here - but I thought I would expand my response in this week's waffle."

I really like this article because of how relatable it is. I want my students to ask questions but getting them to ask them is the tricky part. Encouraging them constantly that they can do it and to ask questions can be exhausting but that's what I want so that they will become confident and improve. I also love the end of the article were she talks about giving credit for showing work even if the answer is wrong. I do this in my classroom as well because if I see that the student is trying then I can hopefully help them in he future move toward the correct answer.

This is a great article. I run into adults today who when I say I am going to teach math they say "ooh why? Math was alway so hard." And I can admit at times my response it "but it's so easy." Which obviously isn't the greatest response to that. However, they react the same way the article describes, by claiming they aren't "math people" and didn't get it. But every one can learn math (can learn anything for that matter).

matematicas

"This paper describes a research project on Year 3 primary school students in Malaysia in their use of computer-based video game to enhance learning of multiplication facts (tables) in the Mathematics subject. This study attempts to investigate whether video games could actually contribute to positive effect on children's learning or otherwise. In conducting this study, the researchers assume a neutral stand in the investigation as an unbiased outcome of the study would render reliable response to the impact of video games in education which would contribute to the literature of technology-based education as well as impact to the pedagogical aspect of formal education. In order to conduct the study, a subject (Mathematics) with a specific topic area in the subject (multiplication facts) is chosen. The study adopts a causal-comparative research to investigate the impact of the inclusion of a computer-based video game designed to teach multiplication facts to primary level students. Sample size is 100 students divided into two i.e., A: conventional group and B conventional group aided by video games. The conventional group (A) would be taught multiplication facts (timetables) and skills conventionally. The other group (B) underwent the same lessons but with supplementary activity: a computer-based video game on multiplication which is called Timez-Attack. Analysis of marks accrued from pre-test will be compared to post- test using comparisons of means, t tests, and ANOVA tests to investigate the impact of computer games as an added learning activity. The findings revealed that video games as a supplementary activity to classroom learning brings significant and positive effect on students' retention and mastery of multiplication tables as compared to students who rely only upon formal classroom instructions."

Jo Boaler's research on how children learn math is called into question and her response ""When Academic Disagreement Becomes Harassment and Persecution" is discussed in this article, which also features support from her colleagues and a video explaining her ideas.

Abstract: "Why do people contribute content to communities of question- answering, such as Yahoo!Answers? We investigated this issue on MathOverflow, a site dedicated to research-level mathematics, in which users ask and answer questions. Math- Overflow is the first in a growing number of specialized Q&A sites using the Stack Exchange platform for scientific collab- oration. In this study we combine responses to a survey with collected data on posting behavior on the site. User behavior suggests that building reputation is an important incentive, even though users do not report this in the survey. Level of expertise affects users' reported motivation to help others, but does not affect the importance of reputation building. We discuss the implications for the design of communities to target and encourage more contributions."

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Abstract: "Students' attitudes toward mathematics and its learning have been subject to numerous studies in the past six decades. These studies treat such attitudes as both desirable learning outcomes and correlates of mathematics achievement. Many Likert-type attitude scales have been devised to measure significant constructs underlying mathematics-related attitudes, such as confidence, anxiety, and utility of mathematics. The psychometric properties of these attitude scales may be culture and age dependent. As part of a research project called Singapore Mathematics Assessment and Pedagogy Project (SMAPP), an effort was made to devise and validate an attitude toward learning mathematics scale that can be used with lower secondary school students in Singapore. This paper explains the use of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to reduce an initial 57-item questionnaire to one with 24 items that cover these six dimensions: Checking solutions, Confidence, Enjoyment, Use of IT in mathematics learning, Multiple solutions, and Usefulness of mathematics. The data comprise responses from about 890 Secondary 1 (Grade 7) students in 2010, who took the 57-item questionnaire, and another 850 students who took the 24-item questionnaire in 2011. The nature of the final questionnaire is discussed. This effort contributes to the continual effort to devise validated attitude scales that are suitable for different cultures and student groups."

Abstract: "In this paper, students provide insight into their use of Quick Response (QR) codes and mobile devices to assist in mathematics homework efforts. These QR codes were directly linked to instructional videos related to their unit on fraction algorithms and were hosted on YouTube. In particular, through focus-group interviews, the students identified many strengths associated with the implementation of this research. The strengths include the manner in which the YouTube clips of currently accepted instructional strategies worked to reinforce their classroom learning, how the mobile devices motivated students to complete homework in a variety of non-traditional settings, increased their communication with their classroom teacher, and how these devices engaged parents and siblings in the learning process."

Abstract: "Together, brain science and learning design inform Adaptive Interaction Design (AID), a technique for curriculum planning and development. Mathematics is a particular case in which AID can help. The Way of the Game is vital to learning design. There are many definitions of "game." Here, we mean game to be the means by which spontaneous play becomes responsible learning. That innovative games figure as the centerpiece of many 21st century curricula is no accident. Games are a critical element in modern theories of learning design especially when related to insights from neuroscience and online learning/teaching methods. But beyond simple gamification, can games provide the disruptive transformation to mathematics education that is required to effect substantive and sustainable improvement? Can we game the educational system to ensure students' success in mathematics? To find out, we will look at the AID process and two sample products for the development of mathematical thinking and practice based on the Way of the Game."

Abstract: Educational videogames can be designed to provide instructional feedback that is responsive to specific actions. However, existing research indicates that students tend to ignore videogame feedback and subsequently use less effective help-seeking strategies. Research on help-seeking in learning environments has primarily focused on the role of cognitive factors, the nature of the help, or issues of timing and frequency. There is a noticeable gap in understanding regarding how to motivate and increase the use of feedback for improved learning. Using a pre-algebra videogame, this study examined the relationship between an incentive to use feedback and math achievement. A randomized-control design was employed, which compared learning outcomes of students who received the incentive to those who did not. Results indicated that students given the incentive to use feedback had significantly higher normalized change scores on math items (d = .53), with stronger effects for students with low academic intrinsic motivation (d = .88 - 1.17).

Response to one of Britain's education advisers arguing for compulsory math courses that outlines the usefulness and enjoyment of math