Science and Math Learning Activities
Personal Opinion: I felt the production values of this simulation were very high. The voice-overs are very professional sounding and the art style is really great for a free web-based activity. Often times you see really poorly drawn characters with no animation in these types of free activities. The characters were all neat to look at and featured subtle animations that really brought them to life. The activity had a strong introduction which does a good job of explaining its purpose and its association to real world applications. I could see this activity being helpful in a great number of educational settings.
Ease of Use: The activity was easy to navigate through as all the interaction was done via simple left mouse click. The activity doesn't have any sort of timers or time constraints built in, which means students can take their time completing each section of the activity. You can also go back and repeat a section to start over, or re-watch the introduction for guidance if necessary as well. You are given just the right amount of direction but still maintain some freedom of choice. There are captions included for audio as well should learners have special needs.
Educational Value: This is a great introduction for students in regards to what goes into product development, market research, and its impact on profit/sales. It has students performing scientific inquiry to make decisions and shows the consequences of poor inquiry/decisions. Students have to use quantitative reasoning to use graphs and charts to better inform themselves as well.
Age/Developmentally Appropriate: The activity claims to be designed for grades 5-8, which I feel are appropriate. However, I think that because the quality of its presentation and interactivity is high, and the fact that it doesn't dumb things down too much you could use it in a high school setting as well.
Applicability to Theme: I feel this activity could be fit into some aspect of my financial literacy content area. The activity covers not only the research, design, and testing phase of designing a cell phone but covers the cost aspect of product development as well. It also touches on profit and sales aspect of business as well. Based on these different content areas I would use something like this during a unit on business or a starting point for a business simulation activity.
Ease of Use: The activity was easy to navigate through as all the interaction was done via simple left mouse click. The activity doesn't have any sort of timers or time constraints built in, which means students can take their time completing each section of the activity. You can also go back and repeat a section to start over, or re-watch the introduction for guidance if necessary as well. You are given just the right amount of direction but still maintain some freedom of choice. There are captions included for audio as well should learners have special needs.
Educational Value: This is a great introduction for students in regards to what goes into product development, market research, and its impact on profit/sales. It has students performing scientific inquiry to make decisions and shows the consequences of poor inquiry/decisions. Students have to use quantitative reasoning to use graphs and charts to better inform themselves as well.
Age/Developmentally Appropriate: The activity claims to be designed for grades 5-8, which I feel are appropriate. However, I think that because the quality of its presentation and interactivity is high, and the fact that it doesn't dumb things down too much you could use it in a high school setting as well.
Applicability to Theme: I feel this activity could be fit into some aspect of my financial literacy content area. The activity covers not only the research, design, and testing phase of designing a cell phone but covers the cost aspect of product development as well. It also touches on profit and sales aspect of business as well. Based on these different content areas I would use something like this during a unit on business or a starting point for a business simulation activity.
National Library of Virtual Manipulatives - Loan Calculator
http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/frames_asid_321_g_4_t_5.html?from=grade_g_4.html
http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/frames_asid_321_g_4_t_5.html?from=grade_g_4.html
Personal Opinion: I feel that this simulation is very bare bones but it gets the job done. It isn’t necessarily an elegant or pretty presentation but performs its intended function perfectly in my opinion. I personally think that it could use some sprucing up in the visual design department to make it more appealing to students.
Ease of Use: The concept of this simulation is very simple and there is not a lot going on however there is no sort of introduction or instructions to go with it. You sort of have to figure it out yourself. If students were to use this as part of a lesson I would think an instructor would need to explain how it works beforehand.
Educational Value: This activity can teach students not only about how loans are affected by interest rates, but also the mathematical calculations used in determining monthly payments. It also helps with quantitative reasoning through creating an interactive graph based on the calculations performed by the user.
Age/Developmentally Appropriate: This is definitely something I would put in the hands of junior high or high school students and even college students. You could use it for younger learners if you really needed to but I think they would be turned off by it or not understand it unless their math skills were at a high level. The simulation does not facilitate those with special needs in any way.
Applicability to Theme: This is something that would fit absolutely perfectly into my financial literacy theme. I could use this in a unit on loans and interest rates. It would be a great companion to learning about mortgages or car loans. Students could pick their dream car and determine how much their loan payments would be.
Ease of Use: The concept of this simulation is very simple and there is not a lot going on however there is no sort of introduction or instructions to go with it. You sort of have to figure it out yourself. If students were to use this as part of a lesson I would think an instructor would need to explain how it works beforehand.
Educational Value: This activity can teach students not only about how loans are affected by interest rates, but also the mathematical calculations used in determining monthly payments. It also helps with quantitative reasoning through creating an interactive graph based on the calculations performed by the user.
Age/Developmentally Appropriate: This is definitely something I would put in the hands of junior high or high school students and even college students. You could use it for younger learners if you really needed to but I think they would be turned off by it or not understand it unless their math skills were at a high level. The simulation does not facilitate those with special needs in any way.
Applicability to Theme: This is something that would fit absolutely perfectly into my financial literacy theme. I could use this in a unit on loans and interest rates. It would be a great companion to learning about mortgages or car loans. Students could pick their dream car and determine how much their loan payments would be.
National Library of Virtual Manipulatives - Savings Calculator
http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/frames_asid_320_g_4_t_5.html
http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/frames_asid_320_g_4_t_5.html
Personal Opinion: Just like the Loan Calculator this simulation is very bare bones but again it gets the job done as intended. It could also use some sprucing up in the visual design department to make it both more appealing to users but also improve ease of use.
Ease of Use: Like the loan calculator this is a simple simulation with not a lot going on however there is no sort of introduction or instructions to go with it. A savvy student would be able to figure it out themselves but having an instructor explain how to use it or creating a tutorial would probably be necessary.
Educational Value: This activity can teach students not only about how savings grow thanks to interest rates, but like the loan calculator it helps teach the mathematical calculations used in determining interest rates. It also helps with quantitative reasoning through creating an interactive graph based on the calculations performed by the user to show how savings grow over time.
Age/Developmentally Appropriate: This is definitely something I would find appropriate for junior high, high school and college students. The math skills addressed here are somewhat beyond an elementary level. The simulation does not facilitate those with special needs in any way.
Applicability to Theme: This activity is a great match for my financial literacy theme. It can help teach students not only about how savings grow thanks to interest rates, but also helps teach the mathematical calculations used in determining interest earned. It helps with quantitative reasoning as well by creating an interactive graph based on the calculations performed by the user to show how savings grow over time.
Ease of Use: Like the loan calculator this is a simple simulation with not a lot going on however there is no sort of introduction or instructions to go with it. A savvy student would be able to figure it out themselves but having an instructor explain how to use it or creating a tutorial would probably be necessary.
Educational Value: This activity can teach students not only about how savings grow thanks to interest rates, but like the loan calculator it helps teach the mathematical calculations used in determining interest rates. It also helps with quantitative reasoning through creating an interactive graph based on the calculations performed by the user to show how savings grow over time.
Age/Developmentally Appropriate: This is definitely something I would find appropriate for junior high, high school and college students. The math skills addressed here are somewhat beyond an elementary level. The simulation does not facilitate those with special needs in any way.
Applicability to Theme: This activity is a great match for my financial literacy theme. It can help teach students not only about how savings grow thanks to interest rates, but also helps teach the mathematical calculations used in determining interest earned. It helps with quantitative reasoning as well by creating an interactive graph based on the calculations performed by the user to show how savings grow over time.
PhET – Plinko Probability
http://phet.colorado.edu/sims/plinko-probability/plinko-probability_en.html
http://phet.colorado.edu/sims/plinko-probability/plinko-probability_en.html
Personal Opinion: I found this to be a great tool for helping learn the math of probability while at the same time being fun to play with. I could be biased however as I have a fondness for Plinko games. I felt the visuals were simple enough to do the job and enjoyed the fact that there were simple sound effects to go with the action. I like that you can download the simulation, run it in the window it’s in, or embed it in your own site.
Ease of Use: There is a short bit of introductory text which sets the premise for what the user will be doing. However, there are not really any more instructions beyond that so this would definitely be a simulation for the teacher to introduce and help facilitate during its use. Every button is clearly labeled but without experience a user may not know what some of the buttons actually do. It is nice that you can operate the simulation manually or set it up to run continuously. There are no accessibility options or addressing of special needs users.
Educational Value: The simulation was apparently inspired by the Virtual Lab in Probability and statistics at the University of Alabama in Huntsville so it has a strong theoretical background. It does a good job of representing the concept of probability and histograms visually. The wide variety of options means it can be tweaked in complexity based on the educational needs of the learners or instructors using it.
Age/Developmentally Appropriate: The description of this simulation says it is targeted at a high school level. I agree with that assessment and would only recommend this for high school or college students. Junior high students would need to be fairly advanced in their mathematical understanding to make it work. The
Applicability to Theme: For my financial literacy theme I could incorporate this somehow into a lesson that covered gambling and betting since it aids in teaching probability. Since Plinko is something played on The Price Is Right game show I could also bend it to fit in a lesson on pricing and monetary risk-taking.
Ease of Use: There is a short bit of introductory text which sets the premise for what the user will be doing. However, there are not really any more instructions beyond that so this would definitely be a simulation for the teacher to introduce and help facilitate during its use. Every button is clearly labeled but without experience a user may not know what some of the buttons actually do. It is nice that you can operate the simulation manually or set it up to run continuously. There are no accessibility options or addressing of special needs users.
Educational Value: The simulation was apparently inspired by the Virtual Lab in Probability and statistics at the University of Alabama in Huntsville so it has a strong theoretical background. It does a good job of representing the concept of probability and histograms visually. The wide variety of options means it can be tweaked in complexity based on the educational needs of the learners or instructors using it.
Age/Developmentally Appropriate: The description of this simulation says it is targeted at a high school level. I agree with that assessment and would only recommend this for high school or college students. Junior high students would need to be fairly advanced in their mathematical understanding to make it work. The
Applicability to Theme: For my financial literacy theme I could incorporate this somehow into a lesson that covered gambling and betting since it aids in teaching probability. Since Plinko is something played on The Price Is Right game show I could also bend it to fit in a lesson on pricing and monetary risk-taking.
Math & Science Internet Resources for Financial Literacy Teaching and Learning:
Savings Plan Simulator - http://au.pfinance.yahoo.com/tips-and-tools/calculators/savings-plan-simulator
This resource is a great compliment to a lesson on savings and mortgages. Students get to learn how much they can expect to borrow out how in a home loan based on salary and existing financial commitments after they graduate from college.
Equity Investment Simulation - http://www.ownyourventure.com/equitySim.html
This is a great simulation of what is entailed in the monetary investment of a start-up business and companion to a mock business lesson. Students can see the ins and outs of an equity investment and its affect on company valuation.
Money Creation Simulation - http://www.econoclass.com/moneymultiplier.html
This is a good companion to teaching how the money supply is created and regulated by the Fed through the fractional reserve system. Students get to serve as either bankers or members of the public so they get to see both sides of the money creation process.
CoolMath Lemonade Stand - http://www.coolmath-games.com/lemonade/
This resource offers a hands on simulation of managing the money in a simple business. It is a good introduction into accountancy fundamentals and the concepts of profit and loss.
Money Master - http://www.mathsisfun.com/money/money-master.html
This resource allows students to work with currency from around the world. It can help facilitate a lesson on exchange rates across countries. It can also serve as a practice exercise on counting foreign currency.
Count the Money - http://www.mathplayground.com/count_the_money.html
Students use mental math to count certain amounts of money. This lesson can enhance a students ability to handle money in pressure situations and facilitate a lesson on money counting shortcuts such as those used by bank tellers.
The MegaPenny Project - http://www.kokogiak.com/megapenny/default.asp
This is a good resource for allowing students to visualize the real world space used in the storage of physical currency. It can also be used as starting point for discussions on alternative currency proposals, as well as the elimination of certain forms or denominations of currency throughout history.
Java Applets for Visualization of Statistical Concepts - http://lstat.kuleuven.be/java/index.htm
This resource can be used in conjunction with the development of a statistical based money problems. Students can use use the visualizations as guides to mapping monetary statistics.
STEM Education Resource Center http://www.pbs.org/teachers/stem/
This site features several videos in its mathematics section that deal with money matters. Several financial literacy concepts are also featured in videos, which can be used as supplemental content to many of the simulation activities listed above.
Mathematics In Context - http://showmecenter.missouri.edu/showme/mic.shtml
This site features an actual comprehensive mathematics curriculum that focuses on making use of realistic context in its lessons. It looks at mathematical situations students may encounter in their daily lives which includes financial situations.
Additional Math & Science Resources:
http://www.freelyeducate.com/2010/07/free-science-and-math-simulations-for-all-grades.html
http://stemcollaborative.org/
http://www.enc.org/
http://www.pbs.org/teachers
http://www.dmoz.org/Science/Math/Education/Teaching_Resources/
http://www.stemresources.com/
http://www.mongrav.org/
http://www.nobelprize.org/educational/
http://www.materialworlds.com/
http://www.gameforscience.com/forestia/
Savings Plan Simulator - http://au.pfinance.yahoo.com/tips-and-tools/calculators/savings-plan-simulator
This resource is a great compliment to a lesson on savings and mortgages. Students get to learn how much they can expect to borrow out how in a home loan based on salary and existing financial commitments after they graduate from college.
Equity Investment Simulation - http://www.ownyourventure.com/equitySim.html
This is a great simulation of what is entailed in the monetary investment of a start-up business and companion to a mock business lesson. Students can see the ins and outs of an equity investment and its affect on company valuation.
Money Creation Simulation - http://www.econoclass.com/moneymultiplier.html
This is a good companion to teaching how the money supply is created and regulated by the Fed through the fractional reserve system. Students get to serve as either bankers or members of the public so they get to see both sides of the money creation process.
CoolMath Lemonade Stand - http://www.coolmath-games.com/lemonade/
This resource offers a hands on simulation of managing the money in a simple business. It is a good introduction into accountancy fundamentals and the concepts of profit and loss.
Money Master - http://www.mathsisfun.com/money/money-master.html
This resource allows students to work with currency from around the world. It can help facilitate a lesson on exchange rates across countries. It can also serve as a practice exercise on counting foreign currency.
Count the Money - http://www.mathplayground.com/count_the_money.html
Students use mental math to count certain amounts of money. This lesson can enhance a students ability to handle money in pressure situations and facilitate a lesson on money counting shortcuts such as those used by bank tellers.
The MegaPenny Project - http://www.kokogiak.com/megapenny/default.asp
This is a good resource for allowing students to visualize the real world space used in the storage of physical currency. It can also be used as starting point for discussions on alternative currency proposals, as well as the elimination of certain forms or denominations of currency throughout history.
Java Applets for Visualization of Statistical Concepts - http://lstat.kuleuven.be/java/index.htm
This resource can be used in conjunction with the development of a statistical based money problems. Students can use use the visualizations as guides to mapping monetary statistics.
STEM Education Resource Center http://www.pbs.org/teachers/stem/
This site features several videos in its mathematics section that deal with money matters. Several financial literacy concepts are also featured in videos, which can be used as supplemental content to many of the simulation activities listed above.
Mathematics In Context - http://showmecenter.missouri.edu/showme/mic.shtml
This site features an actual comprehensive mathematics curriculum that focuses on making use of realistic context in its lessons. It looks at mathematical situations students may encounter in their daily lives which includes financial situations.
Additional Math & Science Resources:
http://www.freelyeducate.com/2010/07/free-science-and-math-simulations-for-all-grades.html
http://stemcollaborative.org/
http://www.enc.org/
http://www.pbs.org/teachers
http://www.dmoz.org/Science/Math/Education/Teaching_Resources/
http://www.stemresources.com/
http://www.mongrav.org/
http://www.nobelprize.org/educational/
http://www.materialworlds.com/
http://www.gameforscience.com/forestia/