Exploring Solids with Think 3D Free

We have been learning about solids in my 4+5 combo math class. I use manipulative blocks, but since I don't have Legos, they tend to fall over, end up on the floor, etc. the high-touch blocks are great for some, but when it comes to manipulating the solids, there are challenges.

Enter a high-tech counterpart, Think 3d Free. The kids can create unlimited possibilities of shapes and explore and interact with them. They are sharing shapes and challenging each other to identify properties of their creations. It has really helped them understand perspective as well as volume vs. surface area. And, it's fun! I gave my kids free time on the iPads right before break and they asked, "can we use 3D Free?" Yes, you can!



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Show What You know

This week, Katrina Schwartz wrote a great blog piece on the uses of Educreations, and other interactive whiteboard type apps,  in the classroom. She notes that Replay Note, ScreenChomp, ShowMe, DoodleCast Pro, Knowmia, Explain Everything and Educreations all offer teachers the ability to record the visual and audio components of a “whiteboard” lesson on their iPads, and share it online. Schwartz is with KQED's MindShift which itself is a great resource for discussions about education trends, but I digress.


Although we have been using Educreations, Explain Everything, ShowMe and ScreenChomp fairly interchangeably over the past year since we got our 1:1 iPads, Educreations really is our "go to" app for this purpose.  In my classroom, students use these tools as a way to demonstrate their learning.  It really has helped them solidify their problem solving process, clarify their thinking and be able to articulate it using academic vocabulary. Last year I had a student who really struggled with math concepts. One day he had an ah-ha moment and declared that he must make a recording to share his discovery of how to solve double digit multiplication with the world!

What I would like to see is an easier way for students to share their work outside of the classroom without having their own account.  Our biggest challenge with almost every app has been the the lack of consistency of process in saving student work, getting it to a place where I can see and assess it and being able to show it to parents.  

So far, all of our used for these apps have been student based.  Students use the apps to share learnings in math, and Science and to develop literacy. Students love being able to use Educreations and other tools to demonstrate their knowledge and share it with their peers.  They are motivated to do their best work on an authentic and meaningful way.