current thoughts: differentiating instruction with an ipod touch

I'll confess to finding some uses for an Ipod touch in the classroom over the past few weeks. I particularly like its usefulness for recording student interviews and assessments. I've also run across some apps I really like which might have value in the classroom. One app, Logic Box, could augment mathematics instruction by fostering spatial and geometric thinking. Another app, NASA looks like an excellent supplement to an astronomy unit. I like the Whiteboard Lite app, too, for its potential to eliminate noxious dry erase fumes from the classroom - although the iPod screen is a bit small for any detail.

As far as differentiating instruction with an iPod goes, though, my opinion hasn't changed much. In fact, a few things that have happened in my classroom recently have further convinced me that our efforts are better spent - at least in my school - ensuring that all of our kids have equal access to a quality education before springing for dozens of iPods. If we were reasonably close to that goal, I'd be open to exploring iPod touches for instructional use. One certainty is that kids would love being able to use an iPod touch in school!

paper folding

Last week in math class I learned that paper folding is very mathematical! It was really interesting to see how the simple act of folding an origami box uncovered so many mathematical challenges. It was a truly rigorous way to explore geometry and proofs - I personally had difficulty expressing the reasons why I knew a given shape was what it was! Particularly challenging was finding a way to articulating why one folded line was parallel to another.

One question I have is how best to elicit the proofs. Is it best to have the whole class work independently and volunteer answers? Or would it be better to have students work in teams or groups? I'm personally inclined to say groups, because I know I could have used someone to bounce ideas off of when we did this in class.

I think this is a great way to explore geometry and practice articulating mathematical proofs in the classroom. While we engaged in this activity as a way to explore and provide proofs, I'm personally planning to adapt this activity into a lesson for 4th graders. My kids had some trouble with geometric shapes when they were learning about them last fall. I think (and my master teacher agrees) that examining geometric shapes while folding an origami box will help them better understand and remember what they learned. It helps that most of my class is rather origami obsessed, too!