That’s our approach to designing classroom tools. The Owlet Math Tools collection is the result of a 5 year design and research study supported by the National Science Foundation and enhanced by real math teachers in classrooms across the United States.
Let students explore in a safe, ad-free digital app. With Glow and Cube, engagement comes naturally – no games required. Align to learning goals while practicing math that
actually looks like math.
Glow is part LED display, part etch-a-sketch, and all about making math make sense! Students turn dials and press buttons that control the lights and, in turn, illustrate operations, write math equations, and model fractions. The hands-on aspect allows students to visualize math concepts in a new, concrete way.
With the GlowGrid app students model addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division with lights. The GlowPix app allows students to write math equations to create pictures. The Fractions app covers – you guessed it – modeling fractions!
Glow merges the strengths of hands-on learning with those of app-based, immediate feedback. Glow communicates to a range of apps, reflecting students’ work in real-time. A quick tap of the ‘Check Answer’ button, and students know right away if they’re on the right track.
Math problems are randomly generated, so different pairs of students will be given different problems. Plus, Teachers have access to adjust levels in a way that’s not obvious to students. Control questions with choices like adding to 20 or 120.
Plan lessons based on data straight from student devices! Apps collect performance metrics from students as they work. At the end of the period, use each group’s tablet to check information like: how many questions were answered correctly on the first try, how many questions were answered in total, and which skills need extra practice.
Getting started is easy with the Glow Teacher Guide! Whether using Glow to introduce a standard, revisit a skill, or offer remediation, the Teacher Guide offers helpful sample introduction scripts, student prompts, and discussion questions. The printable version is free and a spiral bound version is available for purchase.
Cube is a sensor-enabled tower designed to develop knowledge of place value, including whole numbers, money, and decimals. Students work in pairs by stacking cubes in the 3 sensor-enabled tracks to create numbers and solve math problems.
With the Cube3 app, students can place cubes with myriad results: solving number puzzles, creating and comparing numbers, rounding numbers to a specified place, and more. Cube6 is a clone of the Cube3 app that works with two towers, giving students six columns to create numbers with more digits.
Cube merges the strengths of hands-on learning with those of app-based, immediate feedback. Cube communicates to an app, reflecting students’ work in real-time. A quick tap of the ‘Check Answer’ button, and students know right away if they’re on the right track.
The Cube3 app generates math problems aligned to teachers’ chosen category and activity mode. Pick from Tens, Hundreds, Money, Hundredths, or Thousandths, then choose between the following activity modes: Explore, Make, Build, Round, and Compare. Math problems are randomly generated, so different pairs of students will be given different problems.
Plan lessons based on data straight from student devices! Apps collect performance metrics from students as they work. At the end of the period, use each group’s tablet to check information like: how many questions were answered correctly on the first try, how many questions were answered in total, and which skills need extra practice.
Getting started is easy with the Cube Teacher Guide! Whether using Cube to introduce a standard, revisit a skill, or offer remediation, the Teacher Guide offers helpful sample introduction scripts, student prompts, and discussion questions. The printable version is free and a spiral bound version is available for purchase.
Focused learning
The Owlet Difference
Intentionally designed for playfully practicing math skills while sparking breakthroughs in math understanding, Glow and Cube are physical objects enhanced by technology to make math tangible and friendly. Rather than using technology to gamify math, Glow and Cube offer a way to tinker until students develop math understanding. Teachers hear students’ “aha” moments as they work in pairs and share their reasoning.
The Owlet Difference
Teachers love that Owlet is a hands-on tool that is easy to keep track of and use again and again. While many math manipulatives include hundreds of tiny pieces, Owlet’s simple and thoughtful design makes it perfect for regular classroom use.
The Owlet Difference
In classroom pilots, student use was tracked and teachers were interviewed to understand how they used Owlet. Measures of student math confidence were also taken at the start and end of the year. Analysis suggests:
– Student engagement remained high across the school year
– Students chose to use Owlet when given the choice of various math activities
– Teachers and students enjoyed the hands-on element that Owlet provided
– Teachers felt that Owlet enhanced student learning and motivation
NSF-funded research in collaboration with Carnegie Mellon University’s CREATE Lab
