The following article is an overview of useful math apps for students of all ages available on the iPod touch and iPhone.
It may come as a surprise to some, but the iPhone and the iPod Touch are amazing resources for math students of all ages and capabilities. There are animated video tutorials, colorful drill pages, engaging math games, calculators and reference sources. How is this possible?
For those new to the mobile world, the word to know is apps, an abbreviation for applications. Apps can be found on your mobile device by going to the App Store and searching the App database, just as you would search on Safari or Google. The nice thing about this store is that not everything costs money. Though there are many useful math applications that you can purchase, there are many wonderful free apps available.
Like the internet, apps will never replace classroom instruction, but they can be a very useful supplement to learning and can provide opportunities suited to different learning styles. There are applications with colorful themes, such as fashion dolls and asteroids, which make drill more engaging. There are apps that strive to help younger learners make sense of what can be abstract math concepts such as telling time or fractions.
For older students, there are apps with detailed solutions to more complicated math problems like adding mixed numbers and percentage problems. No matter what level, apps offer immediate feedback that can motivate the student to keep working. Your iPod Touch might be the tool that encourages your child to take control of his/her learning. Use the following list as a starting point and then continue building your own app library. Learn how much fun being successful in math can be!
Apps For Young Mathematicians
Kids in kindergarten through 2nd grade will love these apps.
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MathTappers: Find Sums: Users find pairs of numbers that make up a larger number. This app that teaches the concept of adding.
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Math Games: Users practice basic addition and subtraction with fun games that are loaded with animation like shooting asteroids. A flashcard based game is also available.
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Fashion Math: Kids solve simple addition facts to earn prizes to dress a fashion doll. Users can even take a picture of their creation!
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Razor Smart Lite: Solve math addition problems with underwater creatures!
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Pop Math Lite: This app features floating bubbles with equations written on them. Touch an equation and match it with its answer.
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Shapes: This is a simple geometry app for those just learning their basic shapes.
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MathTappers: ClockMaster and Kids Clock: Practice telling time.
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Counting Coins and Coin Math Free: Kids learn to recognize, count and make change.
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Dot to dot Number Whiz Lite: Great app for the student working on sequences skills.