Using StudyBlue Flashcards as revision materials

I have been trying to get away from the painful process of handing out flashcards to students this year (yes, I know they should make their own).  In an effort to embrace mobile technology I turned to the flashcard site StudyBlue – after trialling several alternatives. I was impressed with their simple but effective site and the quality of their own iPad, iPhone and Android apps. It took me a while to get going and the site isn’t without its issues, but hidden somewhere beneath is a potential gem of a revision tool – and it’s free.

I began by searching for a collection of Grade C Revision Cards and settled on this TES Maths Resource as it was handily divided up into the different strands of the curriculum. After creating an account and linking it to my school, I made four sets of flashcards in my StudyBlue ‘backpack’ based on the resource above – you will have to create an account to view the flashcards hyperlinked below. Click on ‘Flip Flashcards’ to (hopefully) be impressed.

GCSE Maths Geometry & Measures

GCSE Maths Foundation Number

GCSE Maths Foundation Algebra

GCSE Maths Foundation Statistics

These flashcards are all housed in a ‘GCSE FOUNDATION MATHS’ class I set up, which has a class code that students can use to access the materials when they sign up. Alternatively, you can just search for flashcards by topic or email invites to individuals. The site keeps a track of results, flashcards you are struggling with and will chart your progress.

Which is all good. But the fact that it can be accessed from the large majority of mobile apps including whilst offline, is my favourite part. iPad user? Get the studyblue ipad app, register, search for GCSE Maths and away you go…if you’ve already connected to the class then all of your revision materials will already be there for you.

I will be fine tuning the resources before rolling them out shortly. In the meantime, I’d be very keen to hear what you think. Here is a little guide to using StudyBlue for any interested parties. StudyBlue allows students to create their own flashcards and can also create content based on your Evernote notes, but I haven’t got that far yet…

GCSE Maths Video Answers Collaborative Wiki

I have been dedicating a fair chunk of time recently to the production of GCSE Maths video answers ahead of ‘exam season’. A quick study of Youtube shows that a fair few others have been doing the same (I know this as I spent the time inputting dozens of different searches).

So I have come up with an idea…

I have created a wiki called gcsemathsvideoanswers.wikispaces.com, containing all current GCSE Maths video answers – there is an impressive amount already on there! The wiki is completely public, so it can be edited by anyone who views it (no login required).

The wiki is designed to help solve the problem I describe earlier; to collate all the GCSE Maths video answers in one place and make them instantly accessible. It is also designed to be collaborative and aid the process of video creation.

The site is public so teachers can edit the site for themselves. Anyone can insert hyperlinks to new Youtube playlists of videos, add new pages or fix broken links. To make it truly collaborative, you can even add a note to a page alerting others that you are working on a set of videos in order to avoid any duplication (see my example here).

I am hoping that this will be a useful tool for Maths teachers and would like to introduce a section detailing how to make the videos in the future, for those who may be interested. If you have any ideas of what else could feature on the wiki or how it could be done more effectively please let me know.

The Number Loving Maths Resource Site

It seems that collaboration amongst Maths teachers is increasing at a continually increasing rate…(not possible for ever).

This month has seen the launch of a superb new resources site numberloving.co.uk - a new sister to the equally superb blog numberloving.com. If you are a maths teacher or you occasionally speak to someone who considers themselves to be a maths teacher, I seriously suggest you have a look at this resource site. I challenge you not to be impressed by the quality of resources on offer.

The site contains lots of the resources shared by Laura Rees Hughes (@laurareeshughes) and Sharon Derbyshire (@numberloving) on the TES site.

Here are just a few of my favourite resources shared on the new numberloving site:

1) Describing Transformations Treasure Hunt

I honestly never thought I would see the day that I would arrive early to a lesson to blu-tac a treasure hunt around my classroom. Allowing my Year 8′s to roam my classroom completing this treasure hunt swiftly changed that. They loved it. Since I overcame my fear, I have fallen in love with the selection of treasure hunts on offer here.

2) Simplifying Surds Collect a Joke Display Cards

Possibly the best thing about the resources is how well differentiated they are. This simplifying surds activity is no exception. There is three different levels of difficulty (Green, Amber, Yellow) to ensure every students makes suitable progress. The link only contains the answer sheet, but pupil answer sheets and display cards are also included in case the need to allow your class to roam returns.

3) Inequalities Thoughts and Crosses

This is one of my favourite ideas, as well as being a superb resource. Students use the grid to play regular games of noughts and crosses, except they are only able to claim the squares of the questions they can answer. A superb, simple idea that never fails to get students engaged.

It really is a very high quality selection of resources and the Number Loving team have even more high quality resources to add to the site in the future too!