iPad Disciplines

I really think that I spent too much time on the Disciplines Apps and did not have enough time on the other, but it was worth it. 

I was very impressed with the Algebra app.  I had time to look at the Word Problems section as well as the variable equations.  It would be very useful as a remedial tool or an introduction tool.  As a remedial tool it would allow a student to go back and review a topic.  The test were very good, I felt that this was the best feature.  The videos were short and too the point.  The reason that it would not replace teaching is because what I saw didn't tie into the other aspects or deal with the concepts surrounding the problem.  Each topic seemed to be designed to completely stand on its own, and I don't think this is really what you want in an Algebra Class.  But to aide the struggling student it would be great.  Also if you were trying to flip the class, these could be a very handy tool to give to the students.  The videos are certainly better than doing them yourself, and then in class the teacher could review and build the bridges and the tie-ins.  Having the test are a quick evaluation tool at the end to measure the immediate effectiveness.  If a student is struggling with this format it would become immediately clear.  I didn't see if there was a way to export or send the results of the test to an email address, but if there were it would speed up the process. 

The Macaw-Hill Mathematica was for a much lower grad, but still very useful.  It was like having flash cards on steroids.  It would be great if this type of program was not as necessary as it is, but the reality is most kids either don't know how to do flash cards or if they have them there is no one to help them use it.  This program would give the students the opportunity to work on the quick addition and multiplication tables on a regular basis.  This is a skill that is getting less and less focus in elementary school as the standards are changing and state testing for other concepts are driving teachers to ignore the multiplication tables.  By using this type of program it would allow the upper elementary teacher a chance to encourage the students to master this.

The Pocket -CAS is very nice graphing calculator.  But as these generally cost around $100 it woudl help offset the cost of the tablet.  This app could replace the graphing calculator.  It had all of the functions that is required for all the classes that I know of.  It would take a littel getting used to, but it woudl be nice not to have to carry both. 

Graph-Book and Sketch pad were for geometry class.  To be honest Graph-Book is a toy, it is nice to look at and play with, but until you get into college and upper Math classes it it not really that useful.  It could be used for transformation, but that is about all that I know of for High School.  It would be nice to have to show the students the possibilities, but that is about all.  Sketch-Pad on the other hand is a very useful tool.  It would be very helpful to illustrate concepts and allow the student to go deeper in some areas of interest.