Curator: Aimee Muscoe
Tech Tool Overview
Name of Tech Tool: Illuminations - Pan Balance Shapes
Brief Description of Tech Tool: From site: "Build up to algebraic thinking by exploring this balance tool using shapes of unknown weight. Challenge yourself to find the weight of each shape in one of six built-in sets or a random set. This lesson will enhance algebraic understanding through an informal study of equality. A two arm balance pan, shown in the classroom (borrowed from the science department, or built with a meter stick balancing on a pencil) will help students see when the pans are balanced, the left side equals the right side. This important concept in algebra will be reinforced as students manipulate shapes in the pan balance with this applet. The Properties of Equality will be identified later in the lesson."
Link to Tech Tool or Tool homepage:
Evaluation
Description of Learning Activity
In Pan Balance-Shapes, students can explore equality which is an important component of algebra. Students put shapes on a balance to try to find equivalent relationships. The applet records what shapes are on the pan when an equivalent relationship is found. Once students have found many different combinations of equivalent relationships they can guess the weight of each shape and have the applet check their work. Although this tool does not have students practice solving word problems, it does have them practice solving for unknowns.
1. Learning Activity Types
2. What mathematics is being learned?
NCTM Standards
1. Understand patterns, relations, and functions
2. Represent and analyze mathematical structures using algebraic symbols
3. Use mathematical models to represent and understand quantitative relationships
4. Analyze change in various contexts
Proficiency Strands
3. How is the mathematics represented?
The tool is a virtual manipulative. This tool allows students to see how performing and action to one side of an equation can have an effect on the other side of the equation. Since the tool records what shapes are on the pans when it is balanced, it helps students examine the relationship of the shapes.
4. What role does technology play?Make boldface the affordances that play a significant role in this technology use. For each affordance that you select, comment briefly on why.
What advantages and/or disadvantages does the technology offer for facilitating learning?
Since the tool uses shapes instead of numbers I think that it would allow students to focus more on the relationship of the shapes instead of being distracted by numbers. This could also make some students feel more comfortable about equivalence if they struggle with math since numbers are not involved. If students were exploring the applet on their own, it could lead to great discussions about what they discovered about the relationships between the shapes and how they figured out how to make he pans balance. Students could share the strategies they used to make the pans balance and this could lead into discussions about the different properties of equivalence.
Tech Tool Overview
Name of Tech Tool: Illuminations - Pan Balance Shapes
Brief Description of Tech Tool: From site: "Build up to algebraic thinking by exploring this balance tool using shapes of unknown weight. Challenge yourself to find the weight of each shape in one of six built-in sets or a random set. This lesson will enhance algebraic understanding through an informal study of equality. A two arm balance pan, shown in the classroom (borrowed from the science department, or built with a meter stick balancing on a pencil) will help students see when the pans are balanced, the left side equals the right side. This important concept in algebra will be reinforced as students manipulate shapes in the pan balance with this applet. The Properties of Equality will be identified later in the lesson."
Link to Tech Tool or Tool homepage:
- Link to Applet: http://illuminations.nctm.org/Activity.aspx?id=3531
- Link to Specific Math Resource: http://illuminations.nctm.org/Lesson.aspx?id=2148
Evaluation
Description of Learning Activity
In Pan Balance-Shapes, students can explore equality which is an important component of algebra. Students put shapes on a balance to try to find equivalent relationships. The applet records what shapes are on the pan when an equivalent relationship is found. Once students have found many different combinations of equivalent relationships they can guess the weight of each shape and have the applet check their work. Although this tool does not have students practice solving word problems, it does have them practice solving for unknowns.
1. Learning Activity Types
- Exploring/investigating mathematical ideas: The balance gives students a visual to help them understand and explore equivalence
- Demonstration: Teachers could use this applet to demonstrate properties of equivalence (Reflexive Property of Equality, Symmetric Property of Equality, Multiplication Property of Equality, Addition Property of Equality, Transitive Property of Equality)
2. What mathematics is being learned?
NCTM Standards
1. Understand patterns, relations, and functions
2. Represent and analyze mathematical structures using algebraic symbols
3. Use mathematical models to represent and understand quantitative relationships
4. Analyze change in various contexts
Proficiency Strands
- PS-strategic competence: Students represent equality relationships and can solve them
- PS-adaptive reasoning: Students must think logically about the relationships of the shapes in order to make the pans balance
- PS-productive disposition: Gives students an example of balancing objects which can be related to a real balance
3. How is the mathematics represented?
The tool is a virtual manipulative. This tool allows students to see how performing and action to one side of an equation can have an effect on the other side of the equation. Since the tool records what shapes are on the pans when it is balanced, it helps students examine the relationship of the shapes.
4. What role does technology play?Make boldface the affordances that play a significant role in this technology use. For each affordance that you select, comment briefly on why.
- Computing & Automating -
- Representing Ideas & Thinking - visual representation of equality relationships
- Accessing Information -
- Communicating & Collaborating -
- Capturing & Creating -
What advantages and/or disadvantages does the technology offer for facilitating learning?
Since the tool uses shapes instead of numbers I think that it would allow students to focus more on the relationship of the shapes instead of being distracted by numbers. This could also make some students feel more comfortable about equivalence if they struggle with math since numbers are not involved. If students were exploring the applet on their own, it could lead to great discussions about what they discovered about the relationships between the shapes and how they figured out how to make he pans balance. Students could share the strategies they used to make the pans balance and this could lead into discussions about the different properties of equivalence.