Portal | MathCityMap

Step 1 – Switch to the observation view

Open the trail for which you have created your digital classroom and click on the corresponding icon.

Depending on when you want to open the digital classroom view, you will find your digital classroom under “Ongoing,” “Upcoming,” or “Completed.”

Click on the desired digital classroom to open the observation view.

Step 2 – Overview in the “Ongoing” observation view

At the top of the view, you can see how many minutes are left, meaning when the digital classroom will automatically end.

The view shows a list of all joined groups with names, status, and points on the left side. The number after the hashtag indicates the order in which the groups joined. The group with the most points is always at the top of the list.

For each group, you can see round fields that represent the different tasks. A white field means the task has not yet been viewed. Blue means the task has just been opened. Red, yellow, and green stand for incorrectly, satisfactorily, or well-solved tasks. A grey field means that this group has skipped the task.

If you click on a group, you will access the chat. Here, you can communicate with the participants via message, voice note, or pictures throughout the session. Under “Events,” you can see how the learners proceed — for example, whether they use hints and whether they need multiple attempts to solve a task.

On the right side of the view, there is a map showing the tasks and the joined groups (provided they activate GPS). Through numbering and colour coding, the groups on the map can be easily found again in the list.

Step 3 – Additional functions in “Ongoing”

At the top right, there is a chat icon. By clicking on it, you can send a message to all participants at once. Use this, for example, for time-related hints.

Under “Settings,” you can, for instance, extend the session duration or adjust your view. You will also find some information about your digital classroom there.

Under “Events,” you can see all the actions of the joined groups. For a more compact view, select individual groups and then go to “Events.”

To remove members, click on the corresponding group and then click on the X in the top right. Confirm the action with “OK.”

Step 4 – Manage upcoming digital classrooms

Up to 30 minutes before the start of the session, you can adjust the settings of your digital classroom.

The same settings can be edited as when creating the digital classroom.

During the session and in the 30 minutes beforehand, editing is no longer possible.

Step 5 – Manage completed digital classrooms

Up to 6 months after the session, the collected data of the digital classroom can still be viewed.

For example, you can gain insights into which tasks were easy for the learners and which may have caused problems more frequently. These can be discussed again during a joint review session.

Weitere Anleitungen

Step 1 – Create a new task

Go to “Tasks – Create and manage” or select “Tasks” in the menu bar on the left-hand side.

Then click on the plus symbol at the top right and select “New draft”.

You will then be asked to enter basic data for your task.

Click on “Create” to save your draft.

Step 2 – Edit drafts

Like all other tasks, you can find drafts in your profile under “My tasks”. All drafts are framed with a yellow box.

If you want to complete the task, you can simply click on it and edit the task.

Once you have entered the missing information, click on “Save”.

Step 3 – Create task groups

Go to “Tasks – Create and manage” or select “Tasks” in the menu bar on the left-hand side.

Then click on the plus symbol at the top right and select “New task group”.

You will then be asked to create the first task in your task group.

Once you have entered all the information, click on “Create” at the bottom.

Step 4 – Add subtasks

To complete your task group, you need to create additional subtasks.

If you click on your task group and scroll to the bottom, you will be taken to the “Subtasks” section. Click on the plus symbol to add further subtasks to your task group.

The page for creating a task opens again. Click on “Create” to save the subtask.

Finally, you can change the order of the subtasks. To do this, click on the “Change order” button and move the subtasks so that they are in the right place.

Then confirm that you want to save the changes.

Further tutorials

Support Tasks

Support tasks are additional tasks designed to help learners better understand more complex tasks or calculate intermediate steps. These tasks can facilitate the learning process by focusing on and supporting partial aspects of a main task. Here is a step-by-step guide to creating and using support tasks:

Step 1 – Open task area

Go to “Tasks – Create and manage” and under “My tasks” select the task for which you would like to create support tasks.

This task then becomes the main task and can be subdivided by one or more support tasks.

Click on the desired task and then scroll to the bottom.

Step 2 – Create a support task

You will see a box with the title “Support tasks”. Click on the plus symbol on the right-hand side to create a new support task.

You will then be asked to enter all the basic information again, as when creating the main task.

You only do not need to enter the location, as this is the same as the one of the main task.

Once you have entered all the information, click on “Create”.

Step 3 – Multiple support tasks

For complex tasks, it can be helpful to create several support tasks. To do this, click on the plus symbol again and create another support task.

You can then determine the order in which the tasks should be processed. To do this, click on the “Change the order” button and move the support tasks so that they are in the right place.

Then confirm that you want to save the changes.

Further Tutorials

Step 1 – Select an Existing Trail

To select an existing trail, click on the “Trails – Create and Manage” field. You can also click on “Trails” in the menu bar on the left.

A view with your trails will open. Click on the desired trail to open its detailed view.

You can also create a digital classroom with public trails. Click on the desired trail to open its detailed view.

Step 2 – Switch to the “Digital Classroom” area

In the top left, you will see an icon showing a figure in front of a blackboard. Click on it to open the digital classroom section.

Here, you’ll see an overview of already created classrooms (if any), as well as a “New” button to create a new digital classroom.

Step 3 – Create a new digital classroom

After clicking “New,” the digital classroom editor will open.

First, fill out the general information: The name of the digital classroom will be displayed to the learners in the app, select the date and time for the session (learners can join 30 minutes before the start), and set the duration of the digital classroom (after the time has expired, the session will end for all participants).

You can also write a welcome and farewell message. These will be shown to all participants at the beginning and end or when leaving the session.

In the settings, you can enable or disable the leaderboard. The leaderboard is a local ranking list and shows your team’s score, as well as the score of the team ahead and the team behind.

With the automatic task assignment feature, you can control whether all participants should start with the same task or whether they should first spread out among the tasks.

Click on “Create” to save the settings. The digital classroom will then appear under “Ongoing” or “Upcoming” depending on the start time. In the square brackets, you’ll find the associated code starting with an “s.” Share it with your learners so they can join the digital classroom.

Weitere Anleitungen

Step 1 – Preparation

Before the planned lesson, you should look for suitable tasks or, if necessary, create your own tasks. Think about what content you want to work on or deepen and then search for suitable tasks in the web portal using the filter functions.

Also pay attention to the location of the tasks. It should be easy to reach with the class.

Then create a trail to summarize the tasks. You can also create a digital classroom, share the trail with the learners there and monitor their progress.

If necessary, you should also organize a range of materials beforehand, such as a folding ruler, measuring tape or calculator. When carrying out the trail, learners can also take a piece of paper and pencil with them to write down their calculations.

Step 2 – Preparation in the classroom

The trail is intended to take up and deepen the content of the lesson, so it may be useful to discuss the various mathematical concepts again.

For the implementation, you can either download the trail and its tasks as a pdf and print it out for the learners or use the MathCityMap app.

It is best for learners to work in small groups of around three people.

Only one mobile device per group is needed when working with the app.

Briefly explain how to use the app and discuss how much time the learners have for the trail and where they should meet at the end of the time.

The trail you have created has a code so that you can share it specifically with your learning group. This can be found in the information about your trail. Share it with the learners so that they can download the trail. This means they don’t even need internet access when they are outside.

Step 3 – Go outside and solve tasks

Take your class outside to the place where the tasks have been placed. The learners navigate to the individual tasks using the MCM app or the printed map.

It is best for the individual groups to start at different tasks so that they do not get in each other’s way.

On site, the learners take measurements and work on the questions.

Depending on the teacher’s settings, they can receive direct feedback on the accuracy of their solution in the app.

Step 4 – Follow-up in the classroom

After the outdoor phase, you can discuss the learners’ experiences together in the classroom. You can talk about specific tasks and solutions, as well as different strategies.

It is best to use MathCityMap not only for one outdoor math lesson, but to integrate it regularly into your lessons. Over the course of the school year, learners can always solve new tasks and, if possible, create tasks themselves.

Further Tutorials

Step 1 – Recognize suitable objects

Look for objects with clear geometric shapes or fixed dimensions, such as rectangular buildings, round fountains or linear paths.

You can also use natural features such as trees, plants or hills.

Road signs, distance markers or other markings in the environment also often provide valuable data for mathematical questions.

Schritt 2 – Fragestellung

Make sure that your question also requires an activity. In order to solve the task, you have to estimate, observe or measure and also calculate.

You should therefore not choose objects where you can already read off the solution.

Further Tutorials

Task-Wizard

The task-wizard is a helpful tool to make the creation of tasks in the MathCityMap web portal easier and faster. It works for some of the standard tasks. Before using it, you must have already thought about the task and collected measured values. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to use the task-wizard:

Step 1 – Open the task-wizard

When you create a task, you will see a magic wand icon in the top right-hand corner. Click on this to open the task-wizard function.

Step 2 – Enter basic data

First select a suitable topic for your task.

You can then select an object that matches the topic.

Then you need to specify what you are looking for in your task.

Fields will then open in which you should enter your measured values.

Once you have entered everything, click on “Apply”.

Step 3 – Check and complete the data

The task-wizard automatically formulates a suitable task and also creates the sample solution and appropriate hints.

Think about whether you want to adjust the title and add a cover image.

Click on the position on the map where your object is located and click on “Create” at the end.

Further Tutorials

Step 1 – Open trail area

To create your own trail, click on “Trails – Create and manage”. You can also click on “Trails” in the menu bar on the left-hand side.

There is a + symbol at the top left. Click on this to start creating your trail.

The trail will not be saved automatically, so don’t forget to click on “Create” after entering the information.

Step 2 – Specify basic information for the trail

You will now be asked to enter the basic information for your trail. This includes uploading a representative cover image, defining the title and basic information about the trail.

You also need to specify the location of the trail. To do this, simply click on the correct location on the map.

Various settings can then be activated or deactivated. Clicking on the “i” explains what the settings are for. By default, all applications are activated. They can be deactivated by clicking on the slider on the right-hand side.

Now click on “Create”. You can then add tasks.

Step 3 – Add tasks

Now click on “Add tasks” and select suitable tasks. Under “Tasks nearby”, you will be shown tasks that are located near your selected location for the trail. If you have created your own tasks for the trail in advance, you can also search only for these by clicking on “own tasks only”.

Click on the green plus on the right-hand side to add tasks or on the red cross if you want to remove them again.

Then click on “Yes” under “Save changes” if you want to add the tasks to your trail.

You can now find the trail with the added tasks under “Trails – create and manage” under “My trails”.

Step 4 – Edit trail

If you want to make subsequent changes to your trail, click on “My trails” in the trail area and select the trail you want to edit.

If you want to add new tasks, remove tasks or change the order, click on the first icon at the top right. There you can edit the task list.

You can also change the general information, such as the title. To do this, click on the second icon.

Click on “Save” to save your changes.

Further Tutorials

Step 1 – Open the task area

To create your own task, click on the “Tasks – Create and manage” field.

You can also click on “Tasks” in the menu bar on the left-hand side.

There is a plus symbol at the top left. Click on “New task” to start creating your task. The task will not be saved automatically, so don’t forget to click on “Create” after entering the information.

Step 2 – Enter basic information for the task

You will now be asked to enter the basic information for your task.

Cover picture: Upload a picture of the place where your task is located. It’s easiest to use the QR Code. Scan it with the smartphone that you took the picture with and follow the instructions. Make sure that the task cannot be solved by the cover image alone.

Basic data: Choose a suitable title for your task. Write down a precise definition of the task and provide all the necessary information.

Position: To indicate the exact position of the task, simply click on the right spot on the map.

Step 3 – Answer format and solution

Various task types can be selected in the bar. Decide which format makes sense for your task.

For example, if you want to determine an exact number, it makes sense to ask for an exact value. With measurement tasks, small measurement errors can occur, so it makes sense to offer a solution interval here. Depending on the type of task, different solutions must be given.

Then provide a sample solution to your task. This can be in written form or as a picture.

Step 4 – Stepped hints

Up to three hints can be given for a task. These can be helpful in solving the task.

They can contain an idea or an approach to a solution or even a concrete formula or direct instructions.

To do this, select the hint type and then add a text, image or video.

Step 5 – Task meta data

Interesting information about the object of the task can be added here. For example, you can enter the year of construction of a building or exhibition information about a sculpture.

You can also specify the grade level for which the task is suitable. This is particularly important for public tasks so that MCM users know whether the task corresponds to their mathematical abilities.

Furthermore, the required tools can be specified here, such as a folding ruler or measuring tape.

Finally, you should define certain keywords. These also help other MCM users to decide whether they want to solve the task or not. To do this, enter a term and confirm it by pressing the Enter key.

Your own name is automatically entered as the author. The e-mail address of the linked account is also listed there, but it is not visible to others. Finally, click on “Create” and your task is created in the web portal.

Step 6 – Edit tasks

f you want to edit your task later, go to “My tasks” via the “Tasks – Create and manage” field.

Select the task you want to edit. You will then see an edit icon at the top right. If you click on it, you can adjust the cover image, basic data, position and meta data afterwards.

Click on “Save” at the bottom to save your changes.

Further Tutorials

Step 1 – Accessing public tasks

To search for public tasks, click on the “Tasks – Create and manage” field.

You can also click on “Tasks” in the menu bar on the left-hand side.

A page with your tasks will open

Step 2 – Search for tasks

Click on “Public tasks” to search for specific math tasks that are publicly available.

The magnifying glass symbol allows you to enter keywords that should be in the title of the task.

Step 3 – Sorting tasks

The tasks can be sorted in ascending and descending order according to three different criteria: by creation date, by distance from the current location and by class level.

Step 4 – Filter tasks

There are various options for narrowing down the search using the filter symbol.

Grade level: select the grade level for which you want to find suitable tasks.

Period: select the period in which the task should have been created.

Language: filter the tasks according to the availability of languages or activate the slider if the tasks should be in your own language (which is selected in the web portal).

Topic: If you are interested in a specific mathematical topic, you can enter it as a tag. This will only display tasks on this topic.

Task format: select which answer format your task should have.

Step 5 – View results and open tasks

The selected filters are displayed in a blue box above the tasks.

If you want to reset your filters, you can click on “Remove filters”.

After you have set the filters, the matching tasks will be displayed.

Click on a task from the list to see more details.