Toontastic is Mathtastic!

Jennie Cho Magiera is a 4th and 5th grade math teacher in the Chicago Public Schools. She’s a big fan of Toontastic and writes today about how she will be integrating it into her math lessons this fall.

Toontastic, at first glance, appears to be best suited for the reading and writing classroom. One could also see it in a social studies curriculum. However – math?! No way – right?

I disagree. Math, I daresay, is also a creative venture.

Consider mathematics as it is taught in the traditional classroom. The teacher stands in front of students, gives them some sort of instructional input, then the students “practice” this by completing problem sets, worksheets, etc.

Now consider mathematics as it occurs in your everyday life. You are going about your business, a problem presents itself, you grapple with this problem, determine what information you need, work solve it, find a resolution. Wow, what does this sound like? A story arc? Ah-ha!

Enter Toontastic.

I plan to utilize this eye-popping app in my regular mathematics instruction. I will challenge my students to identify mathematical story arcs in their lives (or the lives of their friends and family) and animate them using Toontastic. As the students progress, I hope to see them begin to animate fictional stories and create richer problem solving situations.

Once the students have created their mathematical masterpieces, they will upload to ToonTube. At this point students can watch each other’s toons and pause at the climax to solve the problems themselves.

What is especially beautiful about this use of Toontastic – aside from the awesome engagement factor brought by app’s polished operation – is the way in which math problems can be presented. Dan Meyer, a Ph.D. student at Stanford University, recently gave a TEDtalk lauding the concept of a “compelling problem.”  These are problems that are not presented in a neat “here are the exact details you need to solve the problem and if you get stuck the answer is in the back of the book” format. They are problems that can be messy, may not have all the information presented clearly and force the student to be patient as they work towards a solution.

Utilizing the Toontastic app, students can not only solve these types of problems, but also create them… then share them across a worldwide learning community. Imagine a 9 year old in Chicago logging on to ToonTube and solving a compelling problem written by another  9 year old from Glasgow, Scotland. Then imagine their teachers arranging for a FaceTime meet up to discuss their different “takes” on that problem. That’s pretty mathtastic.

Thanks, Launchpad Toys, for opening my classroom to the world.

Jennie Cho Magiera is a 4^th/5th math teacher and Math/Tech Coach at a high-needs Chicago Public School. She received her B.A. in Psychology & History at Columbia University, then attained her M.S.T. in Mathematics Education at University of Illinois-Chicago. When Jennie is not in the classroom, she writes curriculum and leads workshops for various organizations. Last year, Ms. Magiera began implementing a 1-to-1 iPad technology grant. She has enjoyed using this innovative technology to improve assessment practices and increase differentiation. Recently she was named an Apple Distinguished Educator and has been learning much more about TechEd as a part of this cohort. Aside from her students, Ms. Magiera’s great loves in life are sci fi, mashed potatoes, Tabasco sauce, her dog and her husband. You can find Jennie at http://teachinglikeits2999.blogspot.com/ and http://twitter.com/MsMagiera.