Process

  1. Find a partner and work together on one computer. Within each pair, both of you will take on the role of the Instructionalist. In addition, you will assume one of the other two roles so that each pair has two Instructionalists, one Ineractionist, and one Usability Expert. Read the descriptions of each role below...

    The Instructionalist:  To have educational value, interactive resources need to clearly teach a concept. Resources that make the abstract concrete, allow students see the causal relationship between variables, and/or bring deeper understanding of a concept to the student are highly valuable to you.

     


    The Interactionist: For you, the more interactive the better. You like resources that have a high 'cool' factor and offer exciting visuals. If it has lots of buttons to push, visuals to examine, and things to do, the more you like it.


    		The Usability Expert: Interactive resources that can be learned and used easily are what you like. For you, figuring out the interactivity should be nearly self-explanatory. Even if the resource lacks directions, you like it if learning to use it is intuitive and the learning curve is minimal.

    NOTE:     Both people in the pair will assume the role of the Instructionalist. Each person in the pair will then select one of the other two roles described below.

  2. With your partner, you'll examine some of the sites below and jot down your opinions of each from the perspective of your roles. Discuss with your partner what you are thinking about each site and why. Here are the sites you'll be analyzing:

    MATH

    Geometry Manipulatives -- Select Turtle Geometry

     Algebra Manipulatives -- Select Circle 3

    Numbers and Operations -- Select Factor Tree

    The Factor Game

    Logic Puzzles -- Select 2 of your choice

    Tessellate!

    Cube Net

    Bobbie Bear -- Counting Strategies

    Area -- Parallelograms



  3. You and your partner will have a total 40 minutes to explore these sites, try the interactive activities, and take some notes on each. Be sure to explore some of the same sites as your partner so you are comparing apples to apples.


  4. With your partner, decide on your 3 favorite sites and one or two that you thought were the worst. Justify your selections by taking into account the three roles you assumed within your pair.

  5. Take notes on your final decisions. When debriefing time is called, report your results to the whole class. Do you think the other groups will agree with your conclusions?