Virtual Manipulatives

By: Teri Clement

Description:

  • The Virtual Manipulative App consists of different fraction bars and percentage tiles that are colorful and already measured with decimals for students to move across the iPad to compared to objects and measure them. The students can also compare the actual fraction bars by dragging them into the white space. This gives students a fun and easy way to use fractions. This mathematics practice is helpful and brings technology into a classroom by allowing students to use iPad apps in a educational manner.

Step by step:

  1. Go to Apple App store
  2. Search for Virtual Manipulatives
  3. Select download for the app by ABCya.com
  4. Wait a few moments for app to download
  5. Go to homescreen and find app
  6. Click on app
  7. Wait for app to download
  8. Select if you'd like to use fraction bars, percentages, or decimals
  9. You may then move the pieces around to compare pieces or figure out an answer to an equation.

Videos of App in Use:

Benefits:

This app can help students practice portions in the class or at home if they have access to an iPad. It is an easy and fun way for students to do hands-on math. It visually represents the equation so the students can actually see the problem they are solving instead of just figuring it out by numbers. This is a great way to engage with technology in the classroom because it grabs the students attention to want to play on an iPad but the app is an educational tool to aid students in math.

Students can possibly use this app in centers. One of the stations would contain the iPads where students work together trying to figure out specific fraction problems while using the app.

Another activity would be bringing pies to class, for example little Debbie's. After each student bites into one, ask them the percentage of the pie that was eaten and the percentage of the pie left. This would be a fun activity for the students because it would involve food and using iPads to compare the percentages to.