Open Culture – Free Resources for Math and Many Other Subjects

 Pedagogy  Comments Off
Sep 122012
 

I came across a terrific website today, http://www.openculture.com/  and spent quite a bit of time there. This is a treasure trove of materials for educators and lovers of knowledge. This post serves as an introduction to the site, giving its Mission Statement and the background of its lead editor. From the website:

What is Open Culture’s Mission?

Open Culture brings together high-quality cultural & educational media for the worldwide lifelong learning community. Web 2.0 has given us great amounts of intelligent audio and video. It’s all free. It’s all enriching. But it’s also scattered across the web, and not easy to find. Our whole mission is to centralize this content, curate it, and give you access to this high quality content whenever and wherever you want it. Free audio books, free online courses, free movies, free language lessons, free ebooks and other enriching content — it’s all here. Open Culture was founded in 2006.

Who is Behind Open Culture?

Dan Colman, the lead editor, is the Director & Associate Dean of Stanford’s Continuing Studies Program. Before that, he served as the Managing Director of AllLearn, an e-learning consortium owned by Stanford, Oxford and Yale, and as the Director of Business Development and Editorial Manager at About.com. He received his PhD and MA from Stanford, and his BA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The common thread running through his career is his interest in bringing relevant, perspective-changing information to large audiences, often with the help of the internet. Get his full bio here. You can reach Dan at mail@openculture.com.

The site offers many free books, courses, and videos for educators and students. I hope you enjoy your visit there as much as I did!

The Structure is the Standards

 Pedagogy  Comments Off
Jul 272012
 

This is taken from an essay by Phil Daro, William McCallum, and Jason Zimba, February 16, 2012

“You have just purchased an expensive Grecian urn and asked the dealer to ship it to your house. He picks up a hammer, shatters it into pieces, and explains that he will send one piece a day in an envelope for the next year. You object; he says “don’t worry, I’ll make sure that you
get every single piece, and the markings are clear, so you’ll be able to glue them all back together. I’ve got it covered.” Absurd, no? But this is the way many school systems require teachers to deliver mathematics to their students; one piece (i.e. one standard) at a time. They promise their customers (the taxpayers) that by the end of the year they will have “covered” the standards.”

The full essay can be found here. It’s a good read and does a nice job explaining where we are, and where we’re heading in math teaching.

Many (most?) teachers present material straight from the book, and may not realize how this method fragments the material that is already challenging for students. If there is an overarching theme and approach to the methodology of teaching mathematics, more students would probably understand and succeed at mathematics better. Here’s hoping . . .

 

 

GeoGebra Allows All Users to Embrace Mathematics

 GeoGebra, Pedagogy  Comments Off
Mar 102012
 

NOTE: The following post, with modifications, was submitted to the California Math Council ComMuniCator for the June 2012 issue with the title: “GeoGebra Promotes Equity in the Mathematics Classroom.“

I had been looking several years for good classroom mathematical modeling software; when I discovered GeoGebra, it was an memorable day. I sat with a laptop in my recliner and didn’t get up for three hours, just playing and exploring. Whatever I asked GeoGebra to do, it did with ease and precision. Since then I’ve used GeoGebra in all my classes, given several conference presentations and workshops for districts, and become a Resource Manager and Trainer for the California GeoGebra Institute.

GeoGebra is well suited to promote equity in the math classroom:

  • It is free, open-source software

  • No internet connection is necessary

  • No programming experience is needed

  • It is intuitive, user-friendly, and easy to use

  • GeoGebra has been translated into 52 languages

  • It can run on all platforms since it is written in Java

  • There is a version for new/younger learners and users

  • There is a worldwide network of support from a user forum

  • It creates multiple representations as equations, graphs, tables

  • It can be used from primary grades through college level courses

In spite of affordability (FREE) of this software, implementation of GeoGebra is still not widely seen. When a teacher uses a software tool, it is much more likely that students will use it. Here’s my story about introducing GeoGebra in my classroom: I started the program and let students view it using my LCD projector; then I asked a student to come up and sit at my desk. I instructed her to press certain icons to create a diagram, and within two minutes she had stopped listening to me and was running the program on her own – it’s that easy! After giving a basic introduction to the program, all my classes were then able to visit the campus computer lab and create, explore, learn, and play with the mathematics in multiple representations.

Students easily use calculators because they are familiar with the mathematics underlying the keys they press, and so I’ve been able to teach graphing calculator skills and mathematics concepts at the same time. It’s possible to do the same with GeoGebra, since there are few barriers to entry. Teachers accept and promote the use of calculators in learning many concepts in mathematics; we need to promote GeoGebra as well in a similar, but stronger fashion, since the potential for learning is much greater.

GeoGebra was designed specifically for teaching mathematics, and its rich multiple representation environment invites exploring and creating virtual models and simulations. There is a large international support system of educators and an increasing number of articles, videos, books, and ready-made materials for classroom use. Those interested in the growing STEM education and collaboration movement will find this technology to be a welcome breath of fresh educational air. To give you an idea of the popularity of this software, there were more than 7 million visits to the main GeoGebra website, www.geogebra.org, in 2011; the visitors came from 226 countries and territories. 

We need to provide free and open access to powerful mathematical modeling tools and strong mathematics curricula to all students and educators without regard to age or background. My verdict: GeoGebra is a sure winner, and I strongly encourage all teachers to get comfortable with this software so their students will be better able to develop mathematical minds with this easily accessible and friendly tool. Enjoy!

 

How Many Solutions Are There? – Video Part 1, Linear Equations

 Mr. L's Videos, Pedagogy  No Responses »
Apr 102011
 

How Many Solutions Are There Linear Equations How Many Solutions Are There? – Video Part 1, Linear Equations

How Many Solutions Are There - Linear Equations

After working with a concept for awhile, students need to be able to think clearly about the process. This series of worksheets and videos concentrate on asking students to determine HOW MANY solutions exist for particular situations.

Student Directions:

For the given questions, circle the number of solutions. Then state clearly how you determined your answer. NOTE: You may refer to the actual solution, but we are looking for the number of correct solutions.

Explain the reasoning you used to determine your answer. You may use diagrams and symbols, but should explain in words how you arrived at the answer.

Click on How Many Solutions Are There – Linear Equations for the printable pdf file.

 

KenKen Presentations at NCTM 2011 Annual Meeting

 Pedagogy, Puzzle  No Responses »
Apr 072011
 

NCTM logo 286x81 KenKen Presentations at NCTM 2011 Annual Meeting

I’ve asked for the information download link for the conference handouts and other information from the presenters below. I’ll post the link as soon as it is available. I’m glad to see so much interest in this fabulous puzzle.

KenKen is now the main topic at two independent presentations at the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) 2011 Annual Meeting & Exposition in Indianapolis, April 14-16

KenKen: A Logical Marriage between Sudoku and Arithmetic
April 14, 8:00 am – 9:00 am
Sagamore Ballroom 2 (Indiana Convention Center)
Pamela D. Martin & Kathie O. Smart, Instructors of Mathematics, University of Louisiana at Monroe
Description: How the simplicity and effectiveness of KenKen allow young learners to quickly excel, while challenging their logical thinking.

Using KenKen to Enhance Students’ Learning
April 14, 10:30 am – 12:00 pm
Room 124 (Indiana Convention Center)
Harold B. Reiter, Professor of Mathematics, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Description: Using KenKen with children and teachers. Professor Reiter will talk about his experiences using the puzzle at a camp in Bangalore, India, and at various teachers’ workshops.

Video – Standardized Test Strategy – Working Backwards

 Mr. L's Videos, Pedagogy  No Responses »
Mar 272011
 

The Standardized Test Strategy – Working Backwards video shares one approach I take in class with students when explaining how to do well on standardized tests. It’s helpful to have the correct answer as one of the possible answers given on the test. It’s even nicer when you have some strategies to make it even easier to score better!

You can play the video here or find it on my mathvideouniversity channel on youtube: Standardized Test Strategy – Working Backwards

Video – Standardized Test Strategy – Eliminate Impossible Answers

 Mr. L's Videos, Pedagogy  No Responses »
Mar 272011
 

The Standardized Test Strategy – Eliminate Impossible Answers video shares the approach I take in class with students when explaining how to do well on standardized tests. There’s a lot of good thinking that can be found in multiple choice tests, and I stress with students that they want to be “smart test-takers” when doing these tests. I don’t give answers here, but point students in the right direction so they don’t make obvious mistakes.




You can play the video here or find it on my mathvideouniversity channel on youtube: Standardized Test Strategy – Eliminate Impossible Answers

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