Internet Resources

A site with many resources, including games, lessons, practice problems, and a math dictionary. It covers math topics from prealgebra, algebra, precalculus, calculus, and some geometry.

This website could be given to students as a resource for them to use outside of class. They can use it to review mathematical concepts and gain more practice with different types of problems. The website also includes lesson ideas for parents and educators, so I would even consider letting parents know about this site--perhaps they would want to encourage their children to use it during vacation periods.

This link will take you to some "flashcards," both java and non-java. They mainly consist of sample problems that students can practice and check their answers. The flashcards review topics from arithmetic, algebra, and geometry. In addition to the flashcards, AplusMath has games, worksheets, and homework help.

I would use this resource after teaching students mathematical principles. The flashcards are meant to be used as a review for students. They could use them to drill themselves until they are comfortable with the algorithms.

This is a collection of math reference tables. It is available in both English and Spanish. It covers information from general math, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, discrete/linear algebra, statistics, calculus, and more. Some of the information is very advanced. Also included is an option to download and work offline.

Students could reference this site when they need a quick definition, or if they can't remember a formula. I think it would also be very useful for Spanish-speaking students to be able to read both the English and Spanish translations.

An extensive collection of videos searchable by keyword. This particular link is to a video by Vihart called "What was up with Pythagoras?" The video recounts the history of the Pythagoreans and their opposition to irrational numbers.

I am sure there are a lot of laws regarding the use of sites like YouTube, but I think it is unmatched when it comes to finding video resources on any mathematical subject. I like this particular video because it is an amusing way for students to learn more about some of the history of mathematics. It explains the math in a way that most students should be able to understand.

DnaTube.com is a collection of science videos. This particular video is part of a BBC Four documentary series about the history of math. I believe there are 24 videos in total, and each one is around 10 minutes long.

I would use these videos when discussing historical aspects of math with students. The documentaries present math from cultures around the world and throughout history, so I think they could be used to show that math is for all peoples, not just the current dominant Western culture. These videos are short enough that they could easily be viewed within one class period.

A list of links to and descriptions of comics involving math.

I think showing students that math can be humorous should help lighten the mood in the classroom and clear up some of the "math anxiety" that students face. You could show a different comic every day at the beginning or end of class, or you could use a comic as a transition or an introduction to a new topic.

A blog series written by Steven Strogatz, professor of applied mathematics at Cornell University. In these articles he introduces some real-world problems and the mathematics behind their solutions, or he simply discusses various math topics.

At first I thought the language would be too difficult for students, but then the English teacher side of me shouted, "You need to develop literacy and encourage your students to read more!" Communication is especially important in mathematics, so I conceded her the point. Since this column was written to a layperson audience, I think it would be a nice transition to more mathematical texts. Depending on the grade level and the individual students, I would probably have students read parts of these in class or maybe assign readings as extra credit homework.

Mr. Sweeney is a high school math teacher in Philadelphia. In his blog he includes activities he's used in his class, song parodies, links to other math blogs, and his thoughts and experiences as a teacher.

This resource is more for teachers than for students, but I think the song parodies are worth showing in class. I especially liked his "Graph Shop" (Graphing Lines "Thrift Shop" Parody). I would play the song for students after a unit on the equations of lines.

A collection of videos and tutorials on many subjects. There are also discussion forums for each video where students can ask questions. The knowledge map shows how different topics are related.

I think I would mostly use these tutorials for students who need an extra review of principles learned in class; for example, if a student were absent, I could send her to view one of the videos that covers the things we learned as a class.

A website where you can create presentations. You can also view presentations that others have made and shared. (And even I was able to figure out how to use it, so it's very user-friendly.)

A Prezi presentation is much more flexible than a typical PowerPoint presentation. It has many more options and allows one to be more visually creative. There are a lot of presentations that other users have created, so you can just search by keyword to find one you like. I would probably use these mostly during direct instruction lessons.