Math Videos for Teaching and Learning

More and more, I see a wider gap in the ability of our students in math.  For some students it is enough to watch a lesson or participate in small group math investigations, however, for some it is not.  How do we support those students who were unable to grasp the concept during the time allotted in class? 

Lately, I have been trying to support these learners through online videos and apps.  Each night I post an online lesson on our blended learning site that students can reference.  Students can revisit these lessons and watch them at whatever pace that they need to.  This acts as support for each student that needs extra help solidify their understanding of the basic concepts.  As well, I like to post apps that will allow students to practice these skills in a fun and engaging way.  For the most part, I try to find apps that are free and that reinforce the skills that I can identify them struggling with. 

Here are a few of the sites that I have been using so far and the pros and cons of each:

Khan Academy

This is the site that I use most consistently.  I like this site because the instructor is not visible, you only see that math being taught.  I find this less distracting for students.  As well, they lessons are very direct and clear and he does a nice job of explaining the basics of each math concepts.  Another pro is that he covers a wide variety of the math curriculum in his over 2000 videos.  For a flipped classroom, they also offer other features such as; badges, skill testing questions, discussion forums, goal setting and tracking.  The only con I find with Khan (haha) is that students like variety, and because the videos all have the same look, students might eventually get bored of watching and listening to these tutorials.

Math Playground

This site is similar in ways to Khan academy, however, it is targeted at younger learners.  Depending on the video, they may or may not have an instructor visible and they focus on the basic concepts.  Personally, I find the quality of instruction slightly more clear on the Khan Academy site, however this site is much more interactive.  For instance, it offers math games, logic problems, math arcade and word problems on top of their videos.  For the most part, it is hit or miss on this site.  I find it a nice way to support Khan Academy and to mix it up a little for the students.  As well, students who want extra practice in a more engaging manner will be able to find that on this site.

 NeoK12

This site also offers math tutorials as well as videos in most curriculum areas.  There is much more variety with regards to how the lesson is captured on this site.  Again, the videos are not quite at the quality of Khan Academy, however, if they have more videos in a variety of different subjects.  There is significantly less selection with regards to math concepts.

Math Live

This site is entirely different than all three of the other sites above.  The lessons are animated and revolve around four different characters trying to solve a math problem.  This is very visual and fun to watch for younger students.  As well, it applies math concepts to real world scenarios.  It has a built in glossary and activity pages for each lesson.  Most lessons are broken up nicely into 7 sections, which can be selected via the menu.  This con for this site is that it has a limited number of math concepts and stick mainly to the basics of math.  As well, it would primarily be used to support younger learners. 

Overall, all of the sites above are a great way to support students for free.  Whether is be a blended learning environment or a flipped classroom, these videos are sure to help.