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Website of Barbara Jarosz |
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Graph Mole Sulan Dun http://funbasedlearning.com/algebra/graphing/points3/default.htm author@funbasedlearning.com Grades 4 - 8 Subject Area: Mathematics Reviewed by Barbara Jarosz Website Description This website was created by Sulan Dun, a former middle school math teacher and computer programmer who wanted to create an interactive and fun way for students to learn about the Cartesian coordinate grid. This website contains both an interactive game for students to play to review the coordinate grid, as well as a tutorial that teaches students how to identify a coordinate pair. The game is
modeled after the “whack a mole” game that many students have played at local
carnivals. If a student identifies the
correct coordinate pair on which a mole is resting, they are able to “whack”
it down with a mallet. There are three
versions of the game based on skill level; easy, medium, and difficult. Once a mole pops up on the coordinate grid,
students must choose the correct coordinate pair of the mole among four
answers that are given. While students
are deciding on which answer to choose, there is a sound effect and the mole
taunts them by saying “na-na, na-na,
na-na”. At the end of the game, a student’s score
is displayed in terms of how many vegetables they’ve saved by whacking the
moles. The tutorial on this website is an animated story about a farmer who grew “the best vegetables in all the land”. But then a mole came to his land and started eating all of his wonderful vegetables. The student has been hired to get rid of the moles by “whacking” them each time they pop up. The tutorial describes the x-axis and the y-axis and models how one needs to travel horizontally on the x-axis first to get to the mole, and then vertically on the y-axis to whack the mole with the hammer. Several examples are illustrated in this animated story to model how to correctly identify a coordinate pair on the Cartesian grid. The tutorial is full of sound effects for the moles and barnyard animals that make the website quite entertaining. Accuracy of content The content on this website is 100% accurate. The coordinate pair on which the mole is resting is always correctly included in the set of four answers provided for students to choose from. However, if a student answers a coordinate pair incorrectly, the mole indicates the answer is incorrect by reiterating his “na-na, na-na, na-na”, but the correct coordinate pair is not given. Therefore, students are not given the opportunity to see why their answers are incorrect. The content is very easy to read on this website. The graph is scaled large enough so that if the game is used in a whole-class setting, students in the back of the room can identify the x and y values of the coordinate pair. The moles appear in all four of the quadrants on the coordinate grid, and students are able to practice both positive and negative values of x and y. Technical quality The graphics on this website are very basic. The moles are simple cartoon characters that pop up randomly on the coordinate grid, but their sound effects definitely add to their appeal. Students tend to become very animated during the game once they start to hear the mole taunt them. Their sound effect seems to engage students in the game and encourage them to correctly identify the coordinate pair. The one drawback of this feature is that some students become so wrapped up in beating the mole (because of the taunting) they sometimes revert to guessing on the coordinate pairs in order to quickly answer the question and this, more often than not, leads to the student answering incorrectly. Students need to take their time during this game to correctly evaluate the coordinate pair of the mole, and then answer, rather than randomly guessing very quickly. The sound effects of the mole seem to have this negative effect in some students who I have witnessed play the game. The game itself is very basic; a mole pops up on the coordinate grid and you must identify its coordinate pair to successfully whack it down. Because the game is very simple, it is not intended to be played for extended amounts of time. Use of technology Because of the game’s simplicity, it would serve as an effective supplement to use briefly in the classroom. Most students have played the “whack a mole” game at various carnivals, so the premise of the game will appeal to many students. Students will definitely be hooked on the game and enjoy playing it and trying to beat the mole. Because this game involves one player, it would best be used on an individual basis with students playing on their own laptops. Students can play this game anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes in order to gain its maximum benefits. After 15 minutes, this game would most likely become boring and repetitive for most middle school students. Although students can practice identifying coordinate pairs from a standard textbook, this website provides an interactive way for students to review this concept in an engaging way. Its technological benefit is that it meets the needs of the visual and kinesthetic learner who can see the coordinate pair changing and move the mouse to identify its correct coordinate pair. The one
drawback in the use of this technology is that it does not have students
construct a product or produce a printout to demonstrate whether or not they
have learned the material. Students
simply play the game, and when the game has finished, they receive a score on
their screen as to how many moles they have whacked successfully. It is difficult for teachers to receive
concrete evidence of a student’s performance in this game without a printout
of some sort. Providing a report on
each student’s progress would make this website a more valuable learning
tool. Role of students The role of the student is the player of this game. Their job is to correctly whack the moles by identifying their location by the coordinate pair, and thus help the farmer save his wonderful vegetables. Students are able to work according to their learning needs since 3 versions of this game are available based on difficulty level. Students do not, however, have much control over the navigation of this site. The game is simple, and students only option is to choose which coordinate pair the mole has popped up. Although the game will definitely engage students actively, there is no possibility for group interaction since it is primarily an individual’s game. Role of teacher The role of the teacher is to introduce the game and to provide students with enough background information to successfully play the game. Teachers will need to review with students the coordinate grid, its four quadrants, and how to identify a coordinate pair using the x and y axis. During the game, students will need some monitoring since they will be playing individually. Teachers should continually keep an eye on students to make sure that they are taking their time and answering each question thoughtfully rather than guessing quickly each time the mole appears. At this time, a teacher can decide whether or not the mole’s taunting are motivational or a hindrance to student learning. If students are distracted by the mole’s sound effects, a teacher can opt to shut off the sound on the computer so that the game maintains its educational value. Classroom usage This game can be used as a way to spark students’ interest in coordinate grids at the beginning of a unit on graphing. Because of this curricular connection to graphing, grades 6 and 7 might benefit most from this game. Once students have reviewed the basics of the coordinate grid, this game can be introduced as a way for students to individually practice their skills of identifying coordinate pairs. This is an important skill for students to have prior to launching an entire unit on graphing, and the game’s appeal to students would make it a successful tool to use at the onset of a unit on graphing. Students should work independently on this game. If students were grouped in pairs or even larger groups, those students who were not answering the question would sit idle until their turn. So this game would work best with students working by themselves, keeping every student active at all times. Because this game is best used on an individual basis, it would not necessarily lend itself nicely to the use of a Smartboard. Teachers should opt to allow students individual computer time to play this game. Critical summary Although this game is very basic and would become repetitive after 15 minutes of its use, it would still be a useful tool to use in the classroom to allow students to practice identifying coordinate pairs. Students absolutely love any type of animation (no matter how basic it is), and its similarity to a video game would engage those students who are normally disengaged in class. The graph mole website is a supplement to traditional textbooks that allows students to use their math in an interactive manner. Overall rating 8 I gave this website an overall rating of an 8 because it can serve as a useful tool to hook and engage students in practicing their skills of identifying coordinate pairs. Educationally, it provides a curricular connection to middle school mathematics and is a unique way of providing students with a different way of practicing this skill. Although educationally sound, this website does lack in graphics and complexity. The animations and game itself is very simple, making it a supplement that can be used in the classroom for limited amounts of time. Also, giving students the correct coordinate pair of a mole in which they answered correctly would make this website a stronger resource. |
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© B. Jarosz | Last revised April 16, 2008 | email barbarajarosz2002@yahoo.com |
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