This year’s National Educational Computing Conference (NECC) in Washington D.C. was a huge success. To show off the math tools in Kidspiration 3, we presented “Develop K-5 Number Sense with Virtual Math Tools.” Who knew that educators could get so excited over math?

As a former classroom teacher, I always enjoy sharing what I love with other educators. When I introduce the five visual math tools in Kidspiration (color tiles, pattern blocks, base ten blocks, fraction tiles and fraction boxes), I always ask educators if they have experience using any of the tools in their physical manipulative form. I am always amazed at the number of nods and raised hands. We know how valuable manipulatives are for building students’ conceptual understanding of math concepts and we already have ideas for using them; At NECC, what educators discovered is the power and flexibility that technology brings to Kidspiration’s math tools. In addition to the awe over the math tools themselves, I was also able to demonstrate the ability to combine mathematical notation along with students’ representation, use the Step Workspace to demonstrate problem-solving processes, add multiple pages to make longer activities or cross-tool projects, and take advantage of built in math activities and lesson plans.

If you missed us at NECC, please take advantage of the wealth of resources on our website. We have complimentary archived webcasts, each offering 45-minutes of professional development (or you can just watch them to take a peak at great software). If you are interested in learning more about the math tools, I would suggest Learn to Use Kidspiration’s Visual Math Tools. Or if you want to focus just on fractions, try Making Sense of Fractions with New Math Tools in Kidspiration. We also have a wide variety of short (2-3 minute) videos showing examples of using the math tools to teach specific concepts.

Enjoy your summer!
Meg Courtnage