This applet is an interactive activity that allows the user to represent binomial products using tiles.
Type of Material:
Drill and practice.
Recommended Uses:
This site can be used for individual exploration.
Technical Requirements:
Any browser with Javascript permissions turned on.
Identify Major Learning Goals:
To visualize how products of binomials are expanded.
Target Student Population:
Beginning algebra students.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:
The distributive property and the beginning of basic algebra.
Content Quality
Rating:
Strengths:
This site contains a blank area to place virtual algebra tiles and a right pane that provides the question to be solved. The tiles nicely demonstrate the concept of the distributive rules for multiplying binomials and the questions that the site gives are of an appropriate level for the student who is first learning algebra. Included are instructions for the teacher or parent who is helping the student learn with this applet.
Concerns:
A student who does not understand the concept is given no help with the concepts. It would be nice to have some specific examples of tiles, the corresponding binomials, and how they relate.
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool
Rating:
Strengths:
This site will work well for the active learner who needs to visualize how binomials are multiplied. It can be used to introduce the concept and why it works.
Concerns:
A link or text on the distributive property would be helpful.
Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty
Rating:
Strengths:
Any student should be able to engage in this activity with little to no assistance from the instructor. The instructions provided are clearly written and the tiles are easy to manipulate.
Concerns:
Before the applet can be executed a user must give a permission to run a Java Script. This may create an obstacle for less experienced internet users.
Creative Commons:
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