Mathblaster.com is a math learning website availaible for students in kindergarden to 12th grade. It’s purpose is to allow children the interaction of games as well as building mathematic skills.This free site allows you to “give your kids some much needed math practice, assess the skills they have already acquired, identify their weak areas and help them grasp new strategies.” “Mathblaster” also gives students and teachers cool tricks on how to master the times tables for example. They also have fun and easy acronyms for concepts such as the metric system, which is very vital for not only growth in math but for subjects in science. The biggest attraction on this site is the game “hyperblast” which allows children and young adults of any age to test their skills while saving the universe. A website like this helps students reach mathematical goals while playing games. For many young students, memorization and repetition can be very boring but with the help of games and prices, learning can come easier.
Skills Students need:
- The ability to use a computer/ mouse.
- Parental supervision
- The ability to read and basic counting skills
- The ability to concentrate and reach fullest potential.
http://www.mathblaster.com/
Wolfram Alpha
This website is created to help math students with definitions as well as provide practice problems with explained answers. There is a free trial period for the math problem resources but eventually one will have to pay for their services. Primarily, Wolfram Alpha provides math definitions. However, the math problems provided are very interactive and very helpful for individuals who need immediate help. The website provides problems for arithmetic, number theory, algebra, calculus, linear algebra, and statistics.
Skills Students need:
- A prior knowledge of the concepts that are being searched. The website does not teach you a concept but assists you if you need definition or practice.
- For example, if you search derivative of lnx, They provide you with "d/dx(log(x)) = 1/x"... If you wanted to know a step by step explanation, you will need to upgrade.
For high school students I think that this resource is very useful for when one needs a refresher of a definition. However, this site, as a free source, is not as valuable as a site who teaches and then quizzes the students.
I heard about this website from a few friends who have taken collegiate level math courses. They claimed that it was a great resource for definitions and clarification because of the great amount of topics the classes require them to study.
I would recommend this website to an individual who is struggling in math concepts. A step by step interaction is very valuable especially around exam time.
Regents prep.com
This website is sponsored by the State University of New York to help high school students study for their statewide tests including algebra, geometry, and algebra 2/ Trig. The site includes review and notes on subtopics and then review questions with automatic feedback. Another important aspect which can help high schoolers is a plethora of previous state tests in each subject which are legally posted after each test is released. Often during high school, I used this website to sharpen my math skills while practicing for my state tests.
Skills Students need:
- Math skills up to the 8th grade level in New York State standards
- Be able to use the mouse to navigate through the website
- Be able to choose carefully between multiple choice questions.
High School Students can benefit from this site because of the resources available to practice necessary skills as well as learn tips on how to better one’s test taking skills. However, this site benefits New York students more than other students since it is so directly oriented with acing the state exam.
I would not recommend this site for students who are interested in actually relearning the concepts, the reviews are more of a refresher and are not that in depth. However, the questions are very valuable.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy is a website that provides FREE high class education for students, teachers, and anyone willing to learn. There are many videos along with a "Coach" section where you can monitor your progress. You can find videos in multiple topics not just math but in math there are videos for beginners such as 2nd graders to more advanced students studying Differential equations as well as multivariable calculus.
Skills Students need:
- Since this service is for all ages, basic compute skills are needed such as the ability to use a mouse and actively read a screen
- For more advanced students, there is an expectation of prior skills but even if someone needs help to brush up on their old skills, they can use their resources.
Khan Academy is by far my favorite math website. I am actually very happy I discovered it because they have tutorials in economics as well as in applied math. For high schoolers, I think this is a great resource that they could even carry over to college.
I would recommend this source for students who do not even need extra help, repetition of concepts is key for any subject and this is a great resource.
For Wolfram, I wrote that students do not need prior information because the resource only gives definitions. Before studying a concept, it is best to know the definition first; therefore, to use Wolfram all students would need to know is the concept name. Once they find out what the meaning of a concept is, students can then go on to further expand on it.
ReplyDeletekate,
ReplyDeletegreat resources for high school students. excellent job of explaining elements that are useful and some that are not. prep.com is one that i had not seen before. i may forward this along to my nephew who is a sophomore in high school. i definitely agree with your explanation about wolfram alpha. some prior math knowledge is needed since it's not a learning site exclusively. i generally use it to check solutions and such like.
professor little