These math websites have been a game changer for differentiating my Algebra 1 and 2 classes! They are easy for the students to use independently or as a whole group and I have a dashboard of their progress right on my computer.
I do small group math centers once a week in my classes and there is always one station that utilizes technology. Using this structure, I am able to assign activities to individual students or whole groups ahead of time, so that the students are ready to work independently. To read more about how I develop independence through math centers, check out this blog post.
The graphic below shows my top 5 favorite websites that I use in my classroom!
Khan Academy
Khan Academy is an educational website with videos and self-checking practice problems for all grades and subject levels. This is one of my favorite online resources! It helped my students and their parents so much during remote learning because of how comprehensive the videos are.
Additionally, when my students need to get some extra practice with a concept and I don’t have a worksheet readily available, I can search up any topic and assign practice problems through Google Classroom.
Pros
- Videos are very slow and detailed
- Self-checking
- Lots of material for all grade levels and subjects
- Connects to Google Classroom
Cons
- Repetitive
- Some videos are too long for high schoolers
Desmos
Desmos is a graphing based website that allows students to experiment and discover new ideas. This is definitely my go-to online resource for math stations. There are a variety of games, practice problems, and discovery activities. The questions are clear and scaffolded, so my students rarely need to ask me for help.
Pros
- Student-centered
- Teacher led or individual
- Different types of activities
- Teacher dashboard
- Connects to Google Classroom
Cons
- Not fully self-checking
Geogebra
Geogebra is complete with ready-made lessons and activities for everything algebra and geometry. To be honest, the amount of resources in Geogebra is very overwhelming, at first. If you narrow down your search to exactly what you are looking for, then the resources you will find are incredible.
Pros
- Full lessons
- Wide variety of activities
- Discovery based
- Self-checking
Cons
- I haven’t used this resource enough to have any cons
Blooket
Blooket is a program that I just discovered this school year. My students LOVE it. I think that it is great for review or math stations. This can be done as a whole group competition or individually to beat their own score. The only part of this game that I don’t love is that the students are able to just guess their way through the problems and remember the right answers. I definitely use Blooket as a supplemental activity.
Pros
- Super engaging for even your least engaged students
- Good for reviewing topics
- Can be assigned as “homework”
Cons
- Questions repeat
- Students can guess for every question
Quizizz
Quizizz is a fast-paced game that is great for review, especially with problems that can have multiple choice questions. One of my favorite aspects of this game are the redemption questions, so that students can fix their mistakes and earn their points back. It is much less stressful than Kahoot, but there is still room for students to guess the answers.
Pros
- Super engaging
- Redemption questions
- Perfect for warm ups or review
- Students are given more time for the questions than Kahoot
Cons
- Students can guess for every question
- Too fast paced for some students
Technology is an incredible tool for supporting independence in your math classroom. All of these websites are super user-friendly and increase student engagement! Comment your favorite math website ↓
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