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Review of Top Math Sites
HomeSchool.com recently released their Homeschool.com's Top 100 Educational Web Sites of 2008. There were 7 math sites included in the Top 100.
What makes a Top Math Web Site? I've had a closer look at the 7 sites that were selected to find out.
The following comparison of the sites (in the table, below) considers several factors:
- What is the Content? This is vital for any visitor, of course.
- What Grade levels is the site aimed at?
- Is there real-world context for the math or is it math for math's sake?
- Who is behind the site? In some cases no name or address can be found.
- What does the site sell?
- What are the top keywords for the site's home page? (This helps search engines to determine what the site is about. Determined using SEO Tools - Keyword Density, mostly using 3-word phrases)
- Does the site have valid HTML (if it doesn't, there is a good chance that the site will not display properly on different browsers, different operating systems, and on mobile devices. Determined using W3C's HTML Validator)
- Does the site have valid CSS (same reasons as above - if the CSS is bad, the site can look terrible, or not work at all. Determined using W3Cs CSS Validator)
- How popular is the site? This one is tricky, since there are different ways to measure it. I have included Google's PageRank score (high is good - it means Google knows that many other sites link to the site; maximum is 10), Alexa Rank (lowest is best - this is supposed to be the site's popularity rank, but is skewed due to its non-representative sample), Compete Rank (same concept as Alexa; lowest is best)
The original list of math sites on Homeschool.com did not appear to be in any particular order. I have ranked the sites, based on what I believe to be important in a math Website, which is as follows:
- Quality of content and context for the math
- Value to students (which I regard as having greater importance than a site's value to teachers, or parents in the case of homeschooling, since we are trying to develop in our students some self-learning skills and life-long learning skills)
- Web standards (how well is the site designed? Is it future-proof?)
Below the table, I have included a similar analysis of my own site, Interactive Mathematics, for comparison.
I hope you find the following information useful. You may need to scroll to the right to see all of the table.
| Site & rank |
Content |
Grade Level |
Real-world Context |
Who |
Sells |
Top 5 Keywords |
Valid HTML |
Valid CSS |
Page Rank |
Alexa |
Compete |
Comments |
| 1. Ask Dr. Math |
- Elementary School
- Middle School
- High School
- College & Beyond
|
K to 15+ |
Possibly, depends on the student's question |
Originally Swarthmore College, now 300 volunteer 'Doctors' from all over the world |
Dr Math books
Tutor.com |
- the math forum
- ask dr math
- algebra dr math
- dr math explains
- explains algebra dr
|
No (14 errors) |
Yes |
8 |
11,000 |
3,000 |
Searchable database of questions with solutions.
Students are directed to Tutor.com if they "can't wait" for an answer. |
| 2. Purple Math |
Good explanations on a wide range of topics:
- Preliminary Topics
- Beginning Algebra
- Intermediate Algebra
- Advanced Algebra
- Solving Word Problems
|
5 to 12 |
Some - in the word problems |
Elizabeth Stapel |
CD of whole site for sale at nominal $10. |
- lessons are written
- student in mind
- pointing out common
- help you find
- written with the
|
No (11 errors) |
Yes |
6 |
26,000 |
8,000 |
Very slow page load time for several pages on the site.
I tried again at different times of the day over a few days and page loads over 1 minute were common.
|
| Site & rank |
Content |
Grade Level |
Real-world Context |
Who |
Sells |
Top 5 Keywords |
Valid HTML |
Valid CSS |
Page Rank |
Alexa |
Compete |
Comments |
| 3. Math Goodies |
Easy to understand lessons on:
- Perimeter & Area of Polygons
- Circumference & Area of Circles
- Number Theory
- Decimals
- More On Decimals
- Understanding Percent
- Percent Applications
- Integers
- Probability
- Topics in Pre-Algebra
- Data and Graphs
- Introduction to Statistics
- Symbolic Logic
Includes worksheets and puzzles |
4 to 8 |
Limited (eg Statistics section) |
Gisele Glosser |
CD of whole site - around US$50. |
- help since 1998
- our free newsletter
- goodies interactive math
- interactive math help
- math goodies interactive
|
No (15 errors) |
Yes |
6 |
47,000 |
11,000 |
Has a popular newsletter.
Lessons are in HTML format and open in any browser. Most of the content is on the CD, not on the site.
Interactivity is limited to javascript-based numerical questions and Java-based crossword puzzles. |
| Site & rank |
Content |
Grade Level |
Real-world Context |
Who |
Sells |
Top 5 Keywords |
Valid HTML |
Valid CSS |
Page Rank |
Alexa |
Compete |
Comments |
| 4. Math Playground |
"Play with numbers and give your brain a workout". Fun atmosphere.
Topics:
- Math games
- Word problems
- Logic puzzles
- Math videos
|
K-8 |
No |
"...teachers who are passionionate about math and technology"
No names given, no address given |
Advertising |
- welcome to math
- middle school students
- elementary and middle
games math
- site for elementary
math games
- math word problems
|
No (22 errors) |
Yes |
6 |
116,000 |
18,000 |
Some good activities - but where do you input your function in the function example?
Claims to be a "safe site"
Collaborative Math Project is a good idea.
|
| 5. The Math Worksheet Site |
Worksheets on:
- Addition
- Subtraction
- Multiplication
- Division
- Mixed Problems
- Fractions
- Measurement
- Graphing
- Telling Time
- One Hundred Chart
|
K to 6 |
No |
Scott Bryce |
Subscriptions for a greater variety of worksheets than the free version |
- math worksheet site
- the math worksheet
- single digit horizontal
- 5 minute drill
- digit horizontal single
|
Yes |
No (1 error, 19 warnings) |
6 |
240,000 |
47,000 |
User is able to create printable worksheets (PDF) after choosing certain parameters.
Can this promote drill and kill? |
| Site & rank |
Content |
Grade Level |
Real-world Context |
Who |
Sells |
Top 5 Keywords |
Valid HTML |
Valid CSS |
Page Rank |
Alexa |
Compete |
Comments |
| 6. Web Math |
Has an online algebra solver. No content as such. Solver is optimised for:
- General Math
- K-8 Math
- Algebra
- Plots & Geometry
- Trig. & Calculus
|
K to 12 |
No |
None given
No address given |
Advertising |
- help you solve your math problem
- lines the equation
- data analysis finding
- numbers number line
- convert to a
|
No (4 errors) |
No (3 errors, 23 warnings) |
6 |
50,000 |
15,000 |
Solver can deliver unsatisfactory results. For example, it will spend several lines to multiply 5 by a.
Also, how well do these solvers help students to learn? |
| 7. Mega- Mathematics |
Difficult to determine from the home page. The topics in the graphic are:
- The Most Colorful Math of All
- Welcome to the Hotel Infinity
- Games on Graphs
- A Usual Day at Unusual School
- Untangling the Mathematics of Knots
- Algorithms and Ice Cream for All
- Machines the Eat Your Words
|
Appears to be for teachers - Contains lesson plans (that are devoid of objectives, context, year level, etc) |
Difficult to determine - doesn't appear to have |
"A project of the Computer Research and Applications Group at Los Alamos National Laboratory;
classroom teachers, mathematicians, students in education and computer science, elementary school and high school students, school administrators, computer scientists, parents..." |
Nil - government site |
- this is mega
- is mega mathematics
|
No (4 errors) |
Yes |
6 |
26,000 |
14,000 |
Home page has unattractive image map for navigation.
Site appears stuck in a 1995 time-warp.
Takes a lot of digging to find anything - navigation is poor.
Purpose and audience is unclear. |