Hi Everyone, Yesterday we had our first Tech Café for the second semester. I really wanted to take some time to celebrate all of the growth we had first semester so I asked everyone to come with at least one successful lesson/tool they used first semester. At first, a lot of teachers responded by saying, "..but it isn't anything special..." or "..it wasn't very fancy.." Honestly, I was blown away by this reaction from so many teachers because what they were doing WAS awesome! This really made me realize that most teachers are way to hard on themselves. I tried to reassure everyone that if their lesson was good enough for their students, it would be good enough for my students. After a little bit of pushing, everyone started sharing websites, tools, or strategies that they found were successful. |
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After sharing a celebrating about our first semester, I was excited to share Front Row math with my colleagues. Front Row is a FREE adaptive math program for students in grades k-8. I use it almost every day with my students as a math warm up. Why do I like it you ask?
FrontRow is FREE and adaptive!
The number one reason I like Front Row is that it is free and adapts to the student's needs/strengths. When students begin to work in one domain, they are given a diagnostic for only that domain. The website then builds lesson plans based on the individual student's needs. Furthermore, when students struggle in one area, they will be directed to other students in the class who have mastered that skill!
In addition to adaptive practice, I have the ability of directing a student to one specific learning standard if I want them to practice one specific skill. This is called assigned practice.
In addition to adaptive practice, I have the ability of directing a student to one specific learning standard if I want them to practice one specific skill. This is called assigned practice.
FrontRow has built in video tutorials.
When students get stuck, or need a reminder for how to solve a specific problem - the program has built in video tutorials! I love that my students can get help even if I'm not available!
FrontRow is game based.
Every time students answer, they earn a coin for their "bank." After a certain amount of time, the coins can be used in a store to buy things for their avatar. Also, a leader board is displayed after every question. This means, that students can see how many coins they are earning in relation to the rest of their class. This creates a little bit of competition. My favorite thing about this part of the site, is that everyone earns coins at the same rate - no matter the level of math they are working on. This means that every student is able to be involved in the competition.
FrontRow has tools for the teacher.
FrontRow is great because it does so much for the teacher. Within the teacher dashboard, I am able to see exactly how much time students spent on a specific task and how they are performing. Teachers can print report cards that summarize a student's progress throughout the program. Additionally, the program will create individualized homework for every student based on where they are performing on the program. When I first heard about this feature, I was nervous that I would have to open 30 different documents, but the program will export 1 .pdf will every homework AND answer keys! Differentiating math homework has never been easier.