News November 15, 2012

Sometimes it seems to me–as the parent of a pair of kids who don’t like math very much, while I really did–that although there are endless theories and programs and apps and instructors on how best to do language and reading learning, math kinda gets left behind. (My personal theory is that it’s because most teachers don’t like math either; the ones that did like math in school go on to be engineers or software hackers or whatever. It’s a theory.) So I’m glad to see that there are people giving it a go in the app world, at least:

Math File Folder Games is releasing today an exciting new math app for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch that is meant to help students practice essential math skills while enjoying a fun game. The app, entitled 5 Dice: Order of Operations Game, is a math app for middle school kids that will help them enjoy practicing their order of operations skills. The game requires students to use higher order thinking to solve the target number by working backwards given the answer but not the equation. Among the best feature about this simple math game is that teachers or parents can receive immediate feedback of their students’ progress by email.

The people at Math File Folder Games are math teachers, venturing into game development, creating simple math games designed to help students to make sense of mathematics a concept at a time. Math games for iPad/iPhone/iPod touch help students develop essential math skills by making the practice of these skills much more enjoyable. Parents, teachers, math supervisors and math tutors all agree that when learning incorporates hands-on activities children not only learn faster, but also retain skills far longer.

Now, in addition to printed math games and resources, Math File Folder Games is preparing the release of a series of math apps for iPad/iPhone/iPod touch, the first being 5 Dice: Order of Operations Game.

5 Dice: Order of Operations Game will have a few key features. First, this math app isn’t a typical “drill and kill” game. According to one of the developers at Math File Folder Games, “This game involves students so that, as they play, they learn. Each student is an active participant applying skills in an engaging, effective way for remembering the order of operations. By creating the equation to fit the answer, students are required to use their higher order thinking skill to solve the problem successfully.”

A second key feature is that an electronic whiteboard is built into the game, so students can work out their solutions visually, without having to solve the problem in their head.

Perhaps the best feature of this app, is the ability for assessment. By using games assessment features, progress reports may be emailed directly to the teacher.

5 Dice has a built in reporting feature that informs the teacher how much time the students spend playing the game and how well they are grasping the key concepts.

Device Requirements:
* iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch
* Requires iOS 3.0 or later
* Universal app optimized for display on all iOS devices
* 5.4 MB

Pricing and Availability:
5 Dice: Order of Operations Game 1.0 is free and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Education category.

Math File Folder Games: http://www.mathfilefoldergames.com/
5 Dice: Order of Operations Game 1.0: http://www.mathfilefoldergames.com/my-math-apps/5-dice-order-of-operations-game-app/
Download from iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/app/5-dice-order-operations-game/id572774867
YouTube Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfglfA1fGt4

Have a middle-schooler who is struggling with his or her math? (I sure do!) Maybe this can help. Check it out and, if you try it out, be sure to tell us below how it worked out for you!

Tags: Apple iPad Apps, Apple iPhone and Touch Apps

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About Douglas Moran

View all posts by Douglas Moran

Doug is a nerd from way back, falling for a Commodore PET at the age of 15, and never looking back. Riding the nerd wave, he got a Computer Science degree and entered the tech industry at a young age, deciding after a year and a half of front-line phone technical support that he should try something, *anything* else. He settled on technical writing, and has been cranking out documentation for companies like Unisys, SGI, Cisco, Juniper, and many others ever since. He is nothing short of ecstatic to be working for H-P from his home base in Austin.