Contributing to the Profession

Three quality resources for any new math teacher:

1.) IXL is an online learning platform that offers interactive practice exercises for students across various subjects, including math. It covers skills from pre-K to calculus, aligning with common core and state standards.

How it helps with teaching math:
- Personalized Practice: IXL provides adaptive practice that adjusts to each student's level, allowing them to work on skills at their own pace.
- Comprehensive Coverage: Teachers can assign specific skills or topics for students to practice, ensuring targeted reinforcement of concepts.
- Real-time Feedback: Students receive immediate feedback as they answer questions, allowing them to correct mistakes and learn from them.
- Progress Tracking: Teachers can monitor student progress in real-time, identify areas of strength and weakness, and tailor instruction accordingly.

Why IXL?

I have been using IXL for the last several years and I have to say that similar to Khan Academy IXL has great explanations of how to complete the work. If a student answers incorrectly, the student will get a full explanation. The students are also presented with videos and I also like how IXL will provide questions based on how well the student is performing in completing the questions. This allows for mastery of the content in an effective manner. Furthermore, I also like using IXL because you can create IXL Quizzes that provide immediate feedback. The quizzes are easy to create since you have a question bank directly from the lessons you may have assigned.

2.) Desmos is an advanced graphing calculator and online math tool that offers interactive activities, lessons, and graphing capabilities.

How it helps with teaching math:
- Interactive Graphing: Desmos allows students to visualize mathematical concepts through dynamic graphing, facilitating deeper understanding.
- Custom Activities: Teachers can create custom activities or utilize pre-made lessons to engage students in exploring mathematical concepts.
- Collaboration: Desmos enables collaborative problem-solving and exploration, fostering peer interaction and communication.
- Teacher Support: Teachers can access a wealth of resources, including lesson plans, activities, and professional development materials, to enhance their math instruction.

Why Desmos?

I primarily use desmos because I had a lot of training on this platform both during my credential program as well as my graduate master's program. I worked with my math team colleagues to create slides/lessons on desmos from scratch. Desmos is a great tool to use to provide immediate feedback and to have strong classroom discussions. I also notice desmos lessons can be very engaging for students.

3.) Edulastic is an online assessment platform that allows teachers to create, administer, and analyze assessments for students.

How it helps with teaching math:
- Customized Assessments: Teachers can create assessments tailored to specific math standards or learning objectives, ensuring alignment with curriculum goals.
- Immediate Feedback: Edulastic provides instant feedback on student responses, allowing teachers to identify misconceptions and provide timely intervention.
- Data Analysis: Teachers can analyze assessment results to track student progress, identify trends, and inform instructional decisions.
- Differentiated Instruction: Edulastic offers the flexibility to create adaptive assessments that adjust difficulty based on student performance, supporting differentiated instruction.

Why Edulastic?

This was my first year trying out edulastic assessments. Edulastic is a company that is similar to peardeck which I have used before so I had some familiarity. Moreover, I used edulastic as a recommendation from my school site coach as a way to make grading easier for me. Edulastic is a great resource since it has a large test bank as well as the feedback it provides is unline any other site I have used.

Overall, these online resources provide valuable tools and support for teachers in delivering effective math instruction, promoting student engagement, and facilitating personalized learning experiences.