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Math Forum Online PD Courses
http://mathforum.org/pd/
"The course has got me excited again to use problem solving."
"I would absolutely recommend this course."
"I think the Drexel Math Forum offers a wonderful opportunity
to ignite students' curiosity, passion and interest in
mathematical problem solving."
Teachers from around the country have really enjoyed our online
professional development! Read more of their feedback here:
http://mathforum.org/pd/prealgpow/reflections.html
There's still time to register for our next six-week
asynchronous courses before they start at the end of
the month:
All individuals who successfully complete courses will receive
a certificate indicating that they have completed 15 hours of
professional development. This is equivalent to 1.5 Continuing
Education Units (CEUs).
Hurry — registration closes at 5 pm ET on Thursday, May 26.
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PoW taking place: math problem-solving moment of the week
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"I began to think of ways to do it... 1) My first inclination
was to use non-right triangle trigonometry (law of cosines)
and right triangle trig (cosine). This is how I did it....
2) Now, I wanted to use another method to check myself. I
noticed while doing my calculations that I could just use...."
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- Will, highlighted in the Geometry PoW's Latest Solution
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http://mathforum.org/pows/solution.htm?publication=3941
Toys from Trash
http://www.arvindguptatoys.com/toys.html
Arvind Gupta's step-by-step photographic instructions for
building elegantly simple, do-it-yourself constructions include
the "Math Magic" manipulatives
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Paper Protractor
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No-Glue Cube
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Prismatic Patterns
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Square Box
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Circle to Ellipse
Some of these homemade constructions come with "one minute
films" in English, Hindi, Malaysian, Marathi, Bangla, Tamil,
Kannada, and other languages. Others feature PDFs to download
more detailed instructional prompts. More "toys" repurposed
out of everyday items playfully illustrate principles of
astronomy, electricity, magnetism, pressure, light, acoustics,
and more.
Recognized by organizations ranging from the Indian National
Science Academy (Indira Gandhi Award for Science
Popularisation) to the Council for Elementary Science
International (Mary McCurdy Award) to his nation's association
for the blind, Gupta recently delivered a TED lecture entitled
"Turning trash into toys for learning":
http://www.ted.com/talks/
arvind_gupta_turning_trash_into_toys_for_learning.html
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Now taking place: math education conversation of the hour
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"Our new superintendent is planning to do a trial where about
10 teachers at every school incorporate cell phones, wifi, and
other technology in the classroom. I have to write up a
proposal on how I would use this technology in the classroom.
Do any of you use these resources consistently in your
math classes?"
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- Pamela, posted to the ap-calculus discussion group
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http://mathforum.org/kb/thread.jspa?threadID=2268204
Repper
http://repperpatterns.com/
This no-fuss, point-and-click pattern creator lets you take
high-resolution graphics and easily turn them into eye-catching
designs. Demo Repper online here:
http://repperpatterns.com/tool/
Mixed-media artist Corinne Okada Takara is one member of the
Repper community currently using the simple software to teach
math. Watch videos and slide shows of her recent workshops with
fourth- and fifth-graders from Hawaii and California as they
explore angles and radial symmetry — complete with online
pre/post assessment quizzes and alignments to state
standards — by clicking through her website's "Explore" menu:
http://youareherefabrics.weebly.com/
hpa--repeat-pattern-exercise.html
(In one of Corinne's slides, keen observers may recognize
"Symmetry & Pattern: The Art of Oriental Carpets," a
collaboration between the Math Forum and the Textile Museum.)
Aware that "budgets are often tight and that costs are often
the 'show stopper' for these kinds of experiments in the
classroom," Repper's two Dutch designers invite teachers to
e-mail them for a free license of
the full Repper Pro version to use on their classroom computers.
The duo also offers so_many_a_second, a "visualizer" that
depicts a rate as an ongoing stream of representative icons
cascading down your screen:
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plastic cups used per second by airlines
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smoking deaths per second
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stars born per second
Click the split screen button to graphically compare those and
other pre-selected statistics side-by-side, such as
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bicycles produced vs. cars produced
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babies vs. trees cut
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supernovas vs. population growth
Or create your own — any rate up to 400 units per second:
http://smas.studioludens.com/
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