Getting our Own Data

The point of this lesson was for us to generate our own data and later create histograms, dot plots, and box plots using the data. Students played Mario Kart 8 and took the average number of points for each group of 4 players at the end of a race. They had to answer the following questions:

Considering variables are plentiful in Mario Kart 8, I thought that it'd be a good idea to mention how these things can cause us to make skewed conclusions considering so many factors could have affected the outcome (items and course obstacles are good example for Mario Kart). They struggled with conceptual questions that required them to compare the group average to each individual player's number of points.

The activity was fun, but I don't think the students got what I wanted them to get out of it. I really wanted them to understand that all of these different variables in the game can affect what place you come in, which in turn affects the number of points you will  get. Given this, it's hard to make a conclusion like "Mr. E is a better player than Mr. Campbell" because so many variables could affect the outcome. Only tiny portion of them were able to grasp that.

I am happy that I gave something new/different a shot! At the very least the kids had fun!

Mario Kart 8 & Statistics

It's been tough to update as I have been trying my best to juggle chapter 6 of my thesis as well as prepare students for the state exam. I have absolutely no time as of late. We will be working on a unit focusing on probability and statistics after the test. I want the students to be able to answer statistical questions surrounding Mario Kart 8, and use the data gathered from their races to learn statistical concepts.

Mean, median, mode, range, box plots of their data, etc. Perhaps we can answer a question like "are the girls or boys more likely to score higher in a race of Mario Kart 8?" or "what is the average time it takes (insert class here) to complete a race in Mario Kart 8?" There are so many things that can affect the data (items, computers or no computers, stage difficulty), and this serves as a good discussion to have with the kids. What's best is that ALL students can access this because all that's required is for you to play! I have a bit more planning to do to figure out how things will run, but I'm excited and I'm sure they'll be excited too.

Video Games in Mathematics VII

Unexpectedly, I am able to login to my iTunes account and purchase the game on the Macs in the cart. Therefore, we now have a new addition to our crew!

They've tested the game, like it, and are enthusiastic about continuing their progress on Monday.

Here are some other videos from Day 3:

Video Games in Mathematics VI

The goal of Dragonbox is/was to get students to try to make the connection between the concepts taught in the game, and a typical one-step equation. So, for lesson #2, I had students complete the following:




Here, a student is attempting to bridge the game and equations:

Video Games in Mathematics V

To get some students acclimated to the basics of algebra, I have had some of them begin to play the iPad game called "Dragonbox". I've paid for the game and downloaded it onto a few iPads and let the students go.

Video Games in Mathematics IV

Video Games in Mathematics III

The third time's a charm. Not only does the following app pertain directly to my topic, it's actually challenging and a bit fun. It's called "Algebra"

Here is a pic and video of me playing the game:

Timed, unlike the previous game. Definitely useful. Perhaps for assessment purposes (getting a certain number correct within a minute) or just practice purposes.

Video Games in Mathematics II

Couldn't think of anything else with the Wii U so I've been looking at apps on the iPad. One of the apps I came across is terrible so I'm not even going to bother mentioning it here, but the following app "My Equation" isn't so bad:

There's just no followup besides having students pick the correct sign. It's not timed either...There's absolutely no extension, meaning that students will get bored after 5 minutes with the game (just like I have).... On second thought...It is quite bad.. I'll continue to update until I find some solid games.

Video Games in Mathematics......

My thesis is about using video games to teach mathematics in the classroom. My biggest problem and fear: there's such a lack of educational games, let alone those with a specific focus on equations! Am I in over my head this time? It is looking more and more like I'll have to eventually turn to apps instead of conventional video game systems (I.e. Wii U/PS3) etc. Knowing that I'll never give up, I've been fooling around with Art Academy: Sketchpad on the Wii U with the intention of drawing problems or creating a course of artworks (which are just math problems) that they have to solve.

Problems: There's no difference between using this and writing it on the board. And this game doesn't actually teach math. Would you still consider it applicable? There's still a motivational/fun factor there for students who would prefer this as opposed to me just writing it on the board. They can use the Gamepad to write their own questions and have their classmates solve. Humble beginnings I suppose in terms of finding the right games, and I really, really don't have much time....