Applets & Virtual Manipulatives

Looking for different, engaging ways to present math & science concepts to your students? Look into applets & virtual manipulatives -- small programs designed to portray concepts visually and usually interactively.

What are these tools and why and how should you use them? Here are a few articles and resources where you can learn more:

• What Are Virtual Manipulatives?
  http://my.nctm.org/eresources/article_summary.asp?URI=TCM2002-02-372a&from=B
  This article, by Patricia S. Moyer, explains what they are and discusses their potential uses for teaching mathematics in K-12 classrooms. It also references sites that carry manipulatives. The article appeared in the February 2002 issue of Teaching Children Mathematics (an NCTM publication).
• Tools and Guides
  http://www.neirtec.org/tools.htm
  Northeast & The Islands Regional Technology and Education Center (NEIR*TEC) has put together this resource page of integrating technology with teaching and learning. Look for the link "Mathematics Resources, Tools, and Manipulatives Online."

Here are a few more sites where you can check out some on your own. To have them run properly you'll either need the free Java (http://www.java.com/en/) or Flash and Shockwave players (http://www.macromedia.com/downloads/).

• Arcytech (Free)
  http://arcytech.org/java/
  This site offers some functional mathematics applets geared towards elementary and middle school students.
• ExploreLearning (Free Trial)
  http://www.explorelearning.com/
  ExploreLearning offers a catalog of modular, interactive simulations in math and science for teachers and students in grades 6-12.
• Freudenthal Institute (Free)
  http://www.fi.uu.nl/wisweb/welcome_en.html
  The Freudenthal Institute is based in the Netherlands, and has developed a number of sophisticated applets for middle and high school math students.
• NCTM's Illuminations (Free)
  http://illuminations.nctm.org/
  The Tools section has interactive tools for learning and teaching math.
• PBS TeacherLine Interactives (Free)
  http://teacherline.pbs.org/teacherline/resources/interactives.cfm
  Click on Math then Interactive for interactive applets from PBS TeacherLine courses you can use to enhance your lessons.
• Shodor Education Foundation, Inc. (Free)
  http://www.shodor.org/
  The Curriculum Materials section has Interactive activities and instructional materials for students, educators, and parents.

| ©2004 Education Development Center, Inc. All rights reserved.
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation Grant No. EHR-0335360. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this matieral are those of the authors and do not not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.