YouCubed

When I first visited the YouCubed site, I didn't quite understand what it was. As you scroll down the page, more and more information is provided about what exactly the site provides. I like the way the home page is organized. You scroll down in a logical fashion and links explaining more information are provided throughout.

I was very impressed with the math lesson plans found on YouCubed. They are very detailed but written in a totally accessible way and include everything you need to know in order to engage with the lesson. I loved the example of "A Google Dilemma". One of the big complaints about mathematics education is that it doesn't relate to the "real world", but Google is completely relatable for kids and is a more accessible issue for their generation than some of the standard textbook examples.

Along with lesson plans, the site offers videos of YouCubed at work in classrooms, information and ideas for parents, math games, and overall suggestions of making mathematics more engaging. One particularly interesting idea is that when the site becomes fully operational, YouCubed will feature the math worked on in today's innovative companies. In many of our courses we are exploring the idea of students working together in innovative ways to solve real-world simulated problems, and constructivist education in general, and I can see how this feature would be useful for that type of activity.

The site also provides up-to-date news and research articles, and I like the idea of having a user-friendly site to visit when I want to explore what the latest research is for mathematics instruction. 

I think the article titled "Parents Make Math Fun" could be provided to parents at the beginning of the school year to set the stage for a new perspective on mathematics. A revolutionary method of math instruction probably won't succeed without earning the support of parents, and it's important to provide them with the current research so they understand why we're teaching the way that we are. I think that sometimes parents become frustrated when their child struggles with a mathematical concept, and it doesn't hurt to provide parents with research saying that it's perfectly okay to encourage mistake-making. 

I'll definitely be checking back when YouCubed becomes fully operational to avail of their free resources, especially when trying to bring my own ideas and methods to my internship.