Jin-Soo Huh

Lure of the Labyrinth is a great for middle school math. It is a game that requires students to apply proportions, algebra, geometry, and other math skills to problem solve. The game is also interactive with an engaging story told in a comic book style. Students also can be in teams and they can provide help to each other. The site also has lesson plans for teachers to use in conjunction with the game or you can allow students to explore and figure out the puzzles of the game on their own. My students were frustrated initially by the lack of direction, but quickly got invested as they started solving puzzles. I play it myself as well!

I love Remind101! I've been using it since the beginning of 2012 and I'm hooked! I use it to text homework assignments, reminders of tests, inspirational quotes, reminders for permissions slips, etc! This is much easier for parents and students than checking a website. Using Remind101, they can choose to get reminders via text and/or e-mail. One thing that differentiates Remind101 from other similar services is the ability to create groups. You can create up to 10 different groups. This is especially helpful if you teach multiple preps (ex. Algebra I and Geometry) and have different homework. It's also been helpful to be able to create a Spanish parents group and send reminders home in Spanish. We translate texts using Google Translate. You can send a text to one group or select multiple groups.

Set up is really easy for the teacher and the dashboard is very user friendly. The one thing that's a little bit hard is getting parents and students to sign up. I had students sign up one day in the computer lab. They do have easy instructions that you can send home and I've asked parents to sign up during conferences. Also, I offered extra credit to students who got their parents to sign up. Next year, I plan on giving it out at Back to School Night.

This has been a great way to keep in touch with students and parents. Definitely would recommend this tool. Also, props to the co-founders for being so accessible. They really like hearing from teachers and respond to feedback quickly!