My name is Emily Mayfield and I live in Oklahoma with my husband and children. We live in Oklahoma City and I am currently a 1st Grade Teacher at a Classical School. I am also an instructional coach for teachers and often support our district with guidance and resources in math. I am passionate about Early Childhood Education and hope to some day be a curriculum specialist and instructional coach supporting early learners as well as Educators to help create a learning environment that is developmentally appropriate and sparks a love of learning! 

In first grade, we spend a lot of time in math focusing on conceptual understanding of Addition and Subtraction within 10. The Oklahoma Academic Standard states, "1.N.2 Solve addition and subtraction problems with sums and minuends of up to 10 in real-world and mathematical contexts" (Oklahoma State Department of Education [OSDE], 2022). Educational technology tools can be a great way for students to practice these skills. The ISTE standard of Innovative Designer is a way to give ownership to students when practicing these skills as well as assess true mastery. The ISTE standard of Innovative Designer states, "1.4. Innovative Designer: Students use a variety of technologies within a design process to identify and solve problems by creating new, useful or imaginative solutions. (International Society for Technology in Education [ISTE], 2024). Students can use online manipulatives to create addition and subtraction problems, creating their own stories and models so that they can demonstrate their knowledge in a creative way. One of my favorite tools to use for this is Polypad.

Students could use Polypad or a similar program to work in small groups to create addition or subtraction stories. They could create their story using manipulatives of their choice and then share it with a peer to see if they can solve it. Students can take turns creating and sharing their models. Once students have had practice creating their stories, they can present their favorite math story to their teacher to assess their mastery of standards 1.N.2 (OSDE, 2021).

This kind of activity is a great example of how utilizing technology can make activities more engaging and enhance the experience for students. According to Kolb (2020), the Triple E Framework helps measure how technology integration supports learning. When we look at her framework of making sure that technology engages students, enhances their learning, and extends their knowledge in a practical way, using online manipulatives checks all of the boxes. In this activity, students will get to move around the manipulatives and create their own stories. Because they are not limited by physical tools, their creativity and stories are completely up to their imagination. Students have the opportunity to practice these skills in a unique way that keeps them focused and interested. Finally, a great benefit of using a program like Polypad is that it extends well to at home practice. Once an activity has been modeled and mastered at school, it can be given to families as a resource for extra support when needed at home. 

References:

International Society for Technology in Education. (2016). ISTE standards for students. https://www.iste.org/standards/iste-standards-for-students

Kolb, L. (2020, December 9). Triple E Framework. https://www.tripleeframework.com/http://

Oklahoma State Department of Education. (2021). Oklahoma academic standards: English language arts. https://sde.ok.gov/oklahoma-academic-standards 

Comments

  1. PipBeck75October 17, 2025 at 6:22 PM

    Your focus on building conceptual understanding in early math is strong, especially tying it to student ownership through the Innovative Designer standard. Using online manipulatives like Polypad to let students build and share their own stories is a smart way to blend creativity with mastery. It pushes them to apply their learning, not just recall facts. The connection to the Triple E Framework is clear, and I like how you pointed out how easily the activity extends into home practice, which is a practical benefit for families.

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  2. Beth FreshourOctober 19, 2025 at 4:13 PM

    I too, have a heart for Early Childhood Education. Parents as their teachers first and potentially best teacher is one of my educational core values, for the early years, especially birth to age 3. Identifying the Polypad extends to home practice is an excellent benefit. Parent engagement in the education journey is priceless. During these home practice opportunities connects can become stronger along with relationships. However, during these times connections can become strained. For that reason I appreciate what technology can offer. Children can feel like they are playing a game without extensive parent involvement from a level a worksheet would require.

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