APMC hot ideas.

Fitzallen, Noleine

Virtual manipulatives are dynamic pictorial representations of concrete resources commonly used in the mathematics classroom. They are offered as Internet-based applets (little applications) that can be used by students to develop an understanding of specific mathematical concepts. Objects such as Dienes blocks, geoboards, tangrams, 2-D and 3-D attribute blocks, and compasses can be rotated, flipped, and moved by students as they use the virtual manipulatives to complete activities associated with the targeted mathematics.

The National Library for Virtual Manipulatives (NLMV) http://nlvm.usu.edu

This website contains a huge collection of applets organised by the five strands of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Standards and also by grade bands. The matrix on the home page provides links to a list of activities according to the corresponding grade level and strand. For example, clicking on the matrix for Pre K-2 Geometry opens a page with all the relevant activities (Figure 1).

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Selection of an activity from the list opens a new web browser window with the virtual manipulative together with details of an activity. A horizontal menu at the top of the applet provides links to Activities, Parent/ Teacher information, NCTM Standards, and Instructions (Figure 2). The Activities link provides ideas for using the virtual manipulative. As students work through the activities, the tasks grow in complexity, building on the mathematics targeted in previous activities. The Parent/Teacher information includes details about the objectives for using the virtual manipulative as well as ideas for learning activities beyond those suggested in the Activities link. The Standards link connects to the NCTM e-standards website, providing access to extensive documentation of the Principles and Standards for Mathematics. The information provided for each activity can be used to determine the equivalent Australian curriculum documentation.

Other useful web sites

NCTM's Illuminations

www.illuminations.org

99 online activities and 519 lessons for Pre-K-12. Links to 726 mathematics resources on the Internet.

Educational Java Programs

Grades K-12

www.arcytech.org/java/

KidsKount

www.fi.uu.nl/rekenweb/en/

Freudenthal Institute for Mathematics Education

Rainforest Maths

www.rainforestmaths.com

Hundreds of exciting, interactive mathematics activities for grades K-6 in all strands.

These Hot Ideas were provided by Noleine Fitzallen, University of Tasmania