Community reviews for National Library of Virtual Manipulatives

I couldn't find a "contact us" form for CommonSense.org - writing this review is my way of giving you a heads up about this dead tool for the National Library of Virtual Manipulatives. While I know that the "updated" link on this learning resource listing is 2013, the phase-out of Chome/Java compatibility happened shortly thereafter (they stopped offering it in the Chrome store around 2014 or 2015). It would help if materials on the CommonSense database looked fresh; it may help to have staff review any Website that still requires Java. Sadly, in Dec. 2020, sites requiring Adobe Flash will begin to face the same problem. Screening for these major browser incompatibilities - not small ones, but these really really big ones - could eliminate a lot of frustration. Note - the National Library of Virtual Manipulatives website tries to link to an "App" version that can be downloaded, and doesn't therefore require Java. However, that entire site - MattiMath.com - is no longer working, and I can find few references on the web after 2018.

I feel that this is a wonderful teaching tool but I do wish that clearer instructions were given in the section using addition and subtraction with numbers up to four digits.

My overall opinion of this product is that is a very useful teaching tool. I like that I can access this resource when I find a student is not understanding a certain concept and I can show them visually to help them understand. The only difficulty I found with this site is that it can be difficult to locate specific visuals.

This is one of my "GOTO" sites for my Pre Algebra and Algebra classes. Once I have done whole class instruction using the book. I them move onto in class manipulatives. There are still some students that can not grasp the concept. NLVM is my next step. The Algebra Balance Scales and Algebra Tiles seems to be able to help those last students that still need some additional instruction.

This free resource can literally save you the thousands of dollars it would cost to purchase all of the concrete forms of the manipulative tools that are available on this site. These manipulative tools can help students model abstract concepts. Many students who traditionally struggle are able to understand the mathematics when they are provided with visual representations. This amazing site allows you to search for manipulative by both content and grade level. It also provides thorough directions, which are sometimes necessary for the less commonly used manipulative tools.

I like the online manipulatives for students to see thier math in action. I especially enjoy the adding and subtracting link that allows students to see the "carry over" action of the manipulatives as they move from hundreds to tens to ones. This site improves my teaching as often I find we move away from using the manipulatives too soon and it can be cumbersome in grade four to have a bunch of hundred, ten, and one blocks for all students, this allows all students easy access!

This website is excellent for practicing various skills in mathematics for any student. The activities are short to keep the attention of students, but can be challenging enough if chosen correctly. There are many activities that overlap grade levels - I would like more to be added for more variety as students move through school.

It's a bit clunky but basically works. Would be great to see it updated for touch interfaces. I believe that actual, 3-D manipulatives provide a much richer learning experience but this is a great substitute when needed due to space, budget, and time (to obtain better materials) is an issue. I love that it includes a huge variety of manipulatives all in one program. I would greatly appreciate an offline version for classrooms with no internet access.

This site has loads of virtual manipulatives. I particularly think the algebra tiles part is worth having a look. It would be great if they could get the algebra tiles working with ipads.

This website is exactly what it sounds like, just basic manipulatives online. It's not the best for students on their own because the interface is hard to use. It's very basic, but they have manipulatives for tons of different types of problems. If you have the time to really explain to kids how to navigate the website, it's a useful tool resource them to use when finishing work.