A really boring title I know, but this activity was lots of fun and was a great example of learning and understanding concepts rather than just knowing answers.
We are studying fractions in grade 6, in my experience students often know shortcuts and tricks to do equations with fractions
While this approach gives them an answer it doesn't promote understanding, rather it focuses on answers. I am much more interested in students understanding a concept rather than knowing an answer. Often they don't understand what the equations actually mean and written explanations are complicated and confusing.
There are lots of great visual examples online and sites like Myimaths have animations and videos explaining what is actually happening when you add, subtract, divide or multiply a fraction. While these sites promote understanding and make it easy for students to see what it means to solve equation problems, I prefer making my own or even better get the students creating their own fraction animations.
Keynote Fraction Animation
To achieve this we used Keynote and added actions to a variety of shapes and text boxes so that students could create their own fraction animations. About half way through the activity I remembered magic move and that made things so much easier.
Magic move compares one slide to the next, takes note of any changes and then animates the changes. You can easily duplicate a slide, make some changes and turn it into a nifty animation in no time at all.
Here are a series of videos I created on how to make your own fraction animations the first two use regular animations and the second two (multiplication and division use magic move)
Adding Fractions
Subtracting Fractions
Multiplying Fractions
Dividing Fractions
What I really like about this activity is that it is hard work, the students really need to think about what it means to perform operations on fractions. What does it mean to add fractions beyond a set of rules.
They look at fractions and operations in different ways, work backwards and need to problem solve to make their animations reflect what is actually happening when performing operations on fractions.
A couple of months ago I started playing with Google Sheets IF Formula and RANDBETWEEN to create interactive google sheet Maths sheet, this was essentially a drill and practice activity. I wanted my students know how to do this and create their own drill and practise activities. The idea was that the students could create maths worksheets that have a random selection of the numbers in the equations.
It was easy enough to set up a sheet using predetermined number and the IF statement to check if the students had the correct answer or not. I added some colour and extra formatting using conditional formatting. I then used COUNTIF to count the number of correct answers. It was all starting to look pretty and come together. Then I introduced RANDBETWEEN to make the numbers random to gamify and increase the longevity of the sheet.
The only problem is that when you use RANDBETWEEN anytime a change is made to the worksheet a new random number is generated. that means when an answer is written the numbers that make up the equation change.
I searched online, checked out add ons, tried pasting values, but couldn't find a way to make the random numbers stick, I started playing with Macros and was almost there when I got distracted by some other bright shiny thing. Someone showed me a few websites that do this automagically. Which was OK but not as good as the students creating their own.
I had put this in the back of my mind until yesterday someone in my PLN on twitter asked for some free drill and practice websites that he could give to the teachers in his school, I suggested getting the students to create their own using Google Sheets, the IF formula and RANDBETWEEN. He reminded me of the issues of the constant changing random numbers. I got back to work.
I created a series of ten random numbers in ten cells (H3 to H12),
I then recorded a Macro that copied the ten cells and pasted the values only into the cell next door. A Macro allows you to record a series of steps or activity that you want to do over and over again on a Google Sheet, it then turns those steps into a script, which you can then run and it will do them for you.
Often to run a script you need to use the tools menu.
But you can also add a script to a Google drawing, so I created a button to randomise the numbers when a user clicks the button the script runs.
Essentially when the button is pressed the script runs, ten random numbers are copied and their values are pasted into the cells next to the random numbers. Because I used paste values only, it doesn't matter how many time the original cells change those numbers in cells I3 to I12 wont change until the button is pressed again.
I then use those values (I3 to I12) to populate my tables test. The Random numbers stick. I hid the columns with all the data so all the user sees is the equations and a button to change the numbers.
I can the use COUNTIF to calculate the number correct and put that as a fraction on the page.
My next step is to work out a way to time how long it takes to complete the equations and add a super cool pop up message when the user gets 10/10.
For your very own copy of the Google sheet to see all the formulas and play with click here
I have a bit of a reputation around school as the VR and AR guy (I don't know why?) so it was no surprise when a grade 10 student came to me asking for help with his MYP Personal Project. He was in a bit of a panic and sent me this email
He had created several Lego models of buildings in Kuala Lumpur in the Lego Digital Designer program. He has examples of old style buildings and new buildings. The problem was that the Personal Project Exhibition was fast approaching and he didn't have time to order the bricks and build his model. He was hoping he could turn his model into an AR experience.
When I met him I checked out his models (he had put a lot of work into them) then explained that I didn't have a clue how to turn these models into AR.
We sat together and started searching online for possible solutions (it was a strong example of me being able to model my searching techniques and show me being a learner) after a rather tedious and long search, we came across this post AR augmented reality Lego. There were some sketchy details of how to do it.
We played and finally worked it out
we had to open the .lxf (lego digital designer) file in the Mecabricks.com website
download the file from Mecabricks as a .stl file
on a computer download the edrawingsviewer app and open the .stl file
transfer the file to the iPhone (the files can be rather large) open the file in app
using the downloadable mat from the website bring your model to AR reality
The effect was pretty cool, you could walk around it, zoom in and out, it was AR, while it took a while we did it. The only real issue was that is wasn't a colour version and we needed the mat. The student went away pretty happy. As the AR guy I was feeling pretty chuffed with myself, as per usual when you start getting over confident a dose of humility soon follows.
The best bit
A couple of days later I got this email from the student.
Hi Mr. Derry,
I have been playing around with the different formatting when exporting the files as I had found out that the .stl format takes all the colours out (which was the main problem). After looking through a few ways - I have successfully transferred both my buildings from the Lego Digital Designer, into AR, with colour (it doesn't even need a QR code!). I found another website which supports 3D modelling called Sketchfab, and uploaded the files through a .dae format from Mecabricks, and got Sketchfab on my phone as well, which allows it to be seen in AR and VR. I have attached all the pictures of how they turned out.
I am very excited to show you everything in school soon (perhaps in innovation tomorrow right after break time), and would like to thank you for all the help you have given me. I wouldn't have managed to pull this out without it!
Have a great day,
Jordan.
On his own, he found another way to do it, a better way with colour and no need for a mat or a QR code. You could even go close up and inside the AR model and check out the interior, something you couldn't even do in real life. This is what I love about empowering students with technology, as a teacher I showed him a thing or two and showed him how to search and what is potentially possible. He then took this knowledge and skill and built on it.
I like to call this "wind them up and let them go" get them enthused and excited and watch what they create.
I love doing this with programs like Scratch and GarageBand, just the other day after showing all the grade 5 students live loops, I had a grade 5 student say to me "Mr D I love live loops in garage band on my iPad. I can't stop playing with it, my parents don't believe I am making such cool music".
We are also doing this in a big way at school through our innovation time, which is 2 blocks per week (the same as every other subject) of passion project time in secondary school, we certainly are winding them up and letting them go. That is a whole other post and we have some great examples to share.
Long may schools and teachers empower students with knowledge, skills and the time to explore their passions.
I recently was asked by Apple to run an everyone can create workshop during the latest “Kuala Lumpur Innovation at schools session”.The theme was student agency, but the team were also keen to have some sessions on the everyone can create books.
I had been reading and using the everyone can create photos book and have been doing some of the activities with my own kids at home and thought it would be a great opportunity to share some of the activities in the books.
We looked at techniques and strategies to empower students to take 'good' photos with iPads. We looked at variety, perspective, details, the rule of thirds and Backgrounds. Dave Caleb's book Stories through the Lens was a super resource for this.
We then explored three of the activities from the everyone can create book - photos including telling photo stories, pictorialize your name and silhouette portraits. It was very hands on, was well received and we had some discussion on how we could use these activities in our classes as soon as we got back to school. Here is a link to the participant created padlet of ideas.
The silhouette portraits is my favourite, I loved using it with my own kids. Seeing as though I was presenting on it, I thought I better try it with some students at school. The next time I had my grade 5 cover we started exploring creating our own silhouette portraits.
Only using the class iPad's we took profile pictures with a plain bright background, basically we were doing the thing I have been telling my IGBTV students not to do "Don't video with a bright background as you can't see the person being filmed". By doing this we got side on images that we could edit and play with (crop, turn black and white, change the contrast, explore different colours) all using the edit button in photos.
I then took this to the next level, by combing this with another activity from the book. We imported our images into Keynote and then applied Instant Alpha to completely remove all of the background.
Once we did this, we used the add shapes option in Keynote to get the students to add their favourite things to their silhouettes.
You can search via the magnifying glass and change the colour of the shapes / images, they are also all free from copyright and allow the students to be super creative.
The kids loved personalising their images.
I showed them how to export them as new images and we had a silhouette gallery of all the students in the class and their interests.
The students had lots of fun identifying each other and seeing other peoples interests. We got some insights into the students that we weren't expecting. It was a great way for the teachers to find out about their students and we got a few pleasant surprises.
As they played with Keynote and shapes the students started exploring different ways to add images they worked out some pretty cool stuff including how to add graded backgrounds and create multicolour and image filled shapes.
The students now have ready made silhouettes that can be used over and over again for a variety of activities. Including
Exit Tickets
End of unit reflections
Brainstorming sessions
Guessing games
Poetry (reverse the colours and fill the silhouette with the poem
Fill the head with a maths problem and solution
Class displays
Add their artwork to the silhouette
The limit is your creativity
We can't wait to explore some of the other activities in the everyone can create books.
I found this great Factors and multipliers puzzle online here
It's one of those activities where students (or teachers) have to cut out all the bits of paper (right hand side) of the sheet. That means cutting 25 numbers and 10 headings. They then manipulate them on the puzzle sheet until they get the right combination. It is a hands on activity and encourages students to use a variety of problem solving techniques and think about different types of numbers.
When we did it in our 80 minute maths block, many of the students took more than 20 minutes just to cut out the bits of paper, (some took 60 minutes) then bits of paper went missing or were blown around by the fans and air conditioning. A couple of students finished, but then it took for ever for them to glue them in their book. Once the lesson was over, we then had to find a way to store the hundreds of bits of paper.
Rather than being the wonderful learning opportunity it promised, it ended up being an exercise in frustration.
In hindsight it would have been better to make it a group activity and do the puzzle on A3 paper or spend hours cutting them out and laminating them for the students. Who has time for that?
Then I got thinking, I could save a lot of time, paper and anguish by turning this activity into a digital Google Drawings worksheet (I hate the term worksheet). It will take me a bit of time to set up, but once it is created I will have a permanent version that can be used over and over again and I would rather spend my time playing with Google drawings than cutting out bits of paper.
The whole process took about 12 minutes, I sped the above video up by a factor or 8 so you get to see it happen in just over a minute
I started by creating a 5x5 table, then added rounded shapes for the headings, if you create one shape and format it exactly as you want it (Shape, colour, font etc) then it is easy enough to copy and replace the text. I then did the same for all the number cards.
Once I made my worksheet I could have grouped all the objects together (so that students couldn't accidentally move the tables and heading etc) but in Google Drawings I find it is easier to take a screen shot, delete the other images and add the screenshot as a single image.
Once the Google Drawing worksheet has been created it is then a matter of sharing it with your students I like to use a force copy link (I like to use Sir Links a lot) so each student has their own copy, the students can then move the shapes around to solve the puzzle. They can rotate the shapes and move them. Do pretty much anything they can do with a paper copy (plus a fair bit more).
No wasting time cutting paper or gluing tiny bits of paper to a sheet, no worries about losing or storing tiny pieces of paper. The puzzle is stored on the students drive.
You can share different versions for students at different levels. e.g. perhaps one version with the labels in the correct spot or the labels facing the correct direction or half the numbers in the correct position or some blank tiles. It offers lots of scope for quick differentiation, make a copy of the drawing then make the change, make another copy, make the change.
This technique works for lots of different worksheets and once you have created the resource, you have it forever and can share it or use it again and again.
The next maths lesson I used the Google drawings version and the kids completed it much quicker with less stress and we were able to have those valuable discussions about problem solving techniques and how different students solved the puzzle. I am now making many more digital worksheets for my Maths class.
