Four activities which illustrate the use of manipulative materials and computers in problem solving at the elementary level are presented. Each activity discusses large group activity and a computer activity. (CW)

Presents two spreadsheets for middle school students applying Polya's heuristic to help develop number sense, reasoning abilities, and problem-solving skills. Spreadsheet 1, "the coin problem," allows students to vary coin quantities to total $8.32. Spreadsheet 2, "ratios," develops number relationships while finding 3 3-digit…

Presents activities employing LOGO to help create situations that enable students to make meaningful cognitive connections while exploring mathematical relationships. Activities explore the concepts of angles and rotations, progressing from off-line to on-line activities with suggested extensions. (MDH)

Presents five examples of how technology can be integrated into Family Math nights. Activities involve graphing, managing money, developing mental mathematics skills, developing deductive and spatial reasoning, and using tangrams to explore patterns and spatial relationships. Includes a list of software publishers. (MDH)

Listed are three activities that illustrate using a spreadsheet as a problem-solving tool and for developing an understanding of relationships between variables. Each activity includes objective, procedure, example spreadsheet, and extra challenges. (KR)

Describes an activity intended to incorporate investigation into learning of mathematics. The example cited involved having fourth graders study perimeter and area of rectangles using Logo. The author suggests that what began as a simple exercise in investigating geometric concepts became an exciting exploration that touched on many topics. (PK)

Presents a series of four steps used in data analysis processes that help students investigate and interpret real world situations. Gives activities that employ computer software to create representative graphs of the data in the analysis process. (MDH)

Describes an activity that introduces students to the use of database software to collect and interpret data. Asks middle school students to collect personal information regarding their dominant hand, eye, and thumb. Students use FIND and AND commands to create tables and respond to questions related to the data. (MDH)

Presents a discussion illustrating student reasoning while using LOGO to draw tilted squares and rectangles. Suggests that teachers recognize that many students use visual imagery to reason and discuss visual reasoning with students. Gives examples of tasks to promote discussion. (MDH)