Create Jamboard Math Activities with Equatio
April marks Math Awareness Month, and over the next few weeks we’ll be sharing lots of tips and tricks on how to teach math effectively. As it’s our specialist area, we’ll be concentrating on digital math!
Our friend Eric Curts has a blog, Control Alt Achieve, that's all about using technology in education. We asked Eric tcurro share some of his favorite ways to create math in Jamboard using Equatio.
Jamboard is an excellent tool for creating interactive learning activities for students. However, Jamboard does not have many built-in math features besides a small collection of shapes. Thankfully, there is a powerful tool which can be used to add all sorts of mathematical manipulatives, symbols, and expressions to Jamboard. That tool is the Equatio extension for Chrome.
Equatio is a toolbar that makes it super easy to create mathematical expressions, as well as a wide variety of math and science manipulatives, and insert them into Google Docs, Slides, Forms, and more. We will be looking specifically at how to do that in Jamboard.
Check out this video on how to create interactive math activities for your students in Jamboard by using the Equatio extension for Chrome.
Demo Jamboard with Sample Math Activities
I had some fun trying out lots of different Equatio options and built a sample Jamboard with a collection of activities to demonstrate some possibilities for math activities. If you would like you can get a copy of that file for inspiration, click here.
Install the Equatio Extension
To make these types of math activities in Jamboard, the first thing you will need to do is install the Equatio extension (if you don't have it installed already.) This can be done via the Chrome Web Store.
Top tip: Once the Equatio extension is installed be sure to pin it so it will stay visible on your toolbar.
Launch Equatio
To launch Equatio:
- Open up a Jamboard file
- Then click on the Equatio extension icon in the top right corner of Chrome.
- The Equatio toolbar will open up at the bottom of the screen.
Equatio Settings
Before we start adding math from Equatio to our Jamboard, we may want to double-check the Equatio settings.
- Simply click on the Equatio logo in the bottom left corner, and choose "Options".
- In the pop-up window, now choose "Math Options".
- Here I like to set the "Math font size" to "XX-Large".
- This creates a higher resolution image so it doesn't look pixelated if you need to resize it.
Adding Math to Jamboard
Now that everything is set up, we can start adding math to our Jamboard. There are lots of buttons on the Equatio toolbar to help you with this, but I will highlight some of my favorites...
Equation Editor
First there is the "Equation Editor" button. This is perfect if you want to type in the math you need. As you type, Equatio will make suggestions to help you complete your math. There is also a gallery of symbols, premade layouts, and formulas.
Once you are happy with the math that has been created, you can insert it into your Jamboard by:
- Clicking the "Copy Math As…" button on the far right corner of the Equatio toolbar
- Then choosing "Image" from the pop-up menu.
The math is now copied and can be pasted into your Jamboard as normal (Ctrl-V for example).
Handwriting Recognition
Another great tool on the toolbar is the "Handwriting Recognition" button. This allows you to draw out your math, and then creates the nice image version of it. When done you can copy and paste the finished image just like before.
Graph Editor
Another useful button on the toolbar is the "Graph Editor" tool. This allows you to easily make graphs of equations and insert those into your Jamboard.
Insert Mathspace
My favorite tool for adding math though is the "Insert Mathspace" button. This opens a new tab where you can make many other exciting math graphics.
On this screen the toolbar will have many of the same buttons, but adds some new ones too. For example there is the "Shapes" button that has dozens and dozens of math-related images you can select from.
Better yet though is the "Smart Shapes" button. This allows you to create dynamic shapes that you can adjust the properties of to make the exact math manipulative you need.
Some of the "Smart Shapes" include:
Number Line - Adjust segments, labels, start, and step.
Grid - Adjust the number of rows and columns.
Protractor - Adjust the graduations, labels, and more.
Coordinate Plane - Adjust ticks, arrows, labels, steps, and more.
Fraction Bar - Adjust segments and shading.
Fraction Circle - Adjust segments and shading.
Polygon - Adjust number of sides.
Angle Measure - Adjust angles, arrows, and label.
Clock - Adjust time, hands, and numbers versus roman numerals.
Clock - Adjust time, hands, and numbers versus roman numerals.
Example Math Activities
By using the Equatio toolbar we can build lots of creative, interactive math activities in Jamboard for our students. I had some fun trying out lots of different options and built a sample Jamboard with a collection of activities to demonstrate some possibilities. If you would like you can get a copy of that file for inspiration, the link is available below.
- Math Examples with Equatio - Jamboard template link
Some of the sample math activities include the following...
Drag and drop fractions to match their visual representations:
Drag and drop shapes to match up pairs that represent equivalent fractions:
Drag and drop stickers to match times with the clocks that show those times:
Use the pen tool to draw in the hands on a clock to show a new calculated time:
Drag and drop the protractor to measure angles, then move the sticky notes to check your answers:
Roll dice to generate random coordinates, fill them in on the sticky notes, then drag and drop the circles to plot the points on the graph:
Drag and drop equations onto their corresponding graphs:
And that's it! By using the Equatio extension you can create all sorts of math manipulatives, shapes, symbols, expressions, equations, and more to turn your Jamboards into interactive math learning activities. To check out EquatIO for yourself, please visit our product page.