Math Links for Week Ending Aug. 17th, 2017

As you read this, I am probably at the cottage right now playing Set and @mathforlove mentions that and many more on his recent post on math based games. Check it out
Curriculum Tags: All
https://mathforlove.com/2018/08/math-game-short-list-2018/

I like these Diamond Problems. Thanks to @TheShaunCarter for pointing them out. At first they look like they might be only good for simple operations but they could easily be used for decimals or even algebraic expressions. Basically there are four spots that fit the following: a, b, ab & a + b. Students are given two of the spots and have to figure out the other two.
Curriculum Tags: Gr7, Gr8, MPM1D, MFM1P
https://primefactorisation.com/blog/2018/07/21/diamond-problems/

I am not sure where I first heard the phrase "never say anything a kid can say" but I'm glad @RobertKaplinsky pointed this article (with the same name) out. It gives some tips on creating a climate of conversation in math classes.
Curriculum Tags: All
https://www.georgiastandards.org/resources/Online%20High%20School%20Math%20Training%20Materials/Math-I-Session-5-Never-Say-Anything-a-Kid-Can-Say-Article.pdf

A new video from @vihartvihart talking about the approximations going into nutrition labels and the "2yness" of "about 2". It's actually pretty simple but pretty interesting.
Curriculum Tags: Gr7, Gr8, MPM1D, MFM1P
http://vihart.com/how-much-is-about-2-really/

Would you rather from @JStevens009. This time dealing with area and cost as the topic
Curriculum Tags: Gr7, Gr8
http://www.wouldyourathermath.com/wallpaper/

Math Links for Week Ending Aug 10th, 2018

Thanks to @JoelBezaire looking for the site Number Gossip, now we all know about it. Kind of fun but also, who knew there were all these different descriptors for numbers. Just put any number into the search and find out all of it's properties. You may also want to check out Adam Spencer's Big Book of Numbers.
Curriculum Tags: All

http://www.numbergossip.com/
https://prealgebraone.wordpress.com/2018/08/10/number-gossip/

Here is a neat little interactive to demonstrate the Birthday Paradox for probability. Thanks to @giohio for this one.
Curriculum Tags: MDM4U
https://pudding.cool/2018/04/birthday-paradox/



I thought this was a fun cross curricular activity combining math and poetry. That is, make a poem on a pyramid. Basically you write 6 lines and then they get placed on the edges of a triangular pyramid and the four sides create a poem. Get the full details on @benorlin's post
Curriculum Tags: All
https://mathwithbaddrawings.com/2018/08/08/poem-on-a-pyramid/

Is practice the key to a girl's success in math class? Some of the theories here talk about the fact that, in general, boys and girls have similar abilities but perceptions lead to girls doing worse and that one way to bypass this problem is to make sure that girls know they can do the math and " break the cycle of dislike-avoidance-further dislike" by doing more practice. Not sure if more practice is a silver bullet but read on to see if you agree or disagree.
Curriculum Tags: All
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/07/opinion/stem-girls-math-practice.html

If you ever find yourself in Dearborn, Mi. then check out Henry Ford Museum for all kinds of industrial related history. Plus now they have the Mathematica exhibit. We went this week and below are just some of the kinetic and interactive parts.
Curriculum Tags: All
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKGGUSV1T-Q

Who doesn't like @anniek_p's drawings. Keep em coming
Curriculum Tags: All
https://twitter.com/anniek_p/status/1027581001227268097

Circles and squares. #mathart #mtbos #islamicart #islamicgeometry pic.twitter.com/8STCMZvwsl

— Annie Perkins (@anniek_p) August 9, 2018

Math Links for Week Ending Aug. 3rd, 2018

If you are looking for an online PD fix then apparently August is the month for you. There are two virtual conferences going on right now with some big names. First there is the Build Math Minds Virtual Math Summit with 31 presenters over 3 days. You could have watched each presentation live or go to the site below and watch the recordings. Note, however, that anyone can watch all the videos until August 6th. After that, you have to become a member of the site. Don't forget to check out Ontario educators @mathletepearce and @mrorr_geek while you are there. 

Curriculum Tags: All

https://mathematicallyminded.lpages.co/vms-speaker-page-day-1/

and for a more completely free online conference, consider @SamJShah's Virtual Conference on Mathematical Flavours. Here we have a slightly different type of conference. Each week in August there are two keynote "speakers" and then other teachers (you included, possibly) are invited to present as well. Now these are not so much presentations as they are blog posts on the topic at hand. So if you want to be a "presenter" that means you are basically just creating a blog post using this question as a prompt: “What flavour of mathematics are you serving up in your classroom?”. This week the keynote presenters are @benorlin and @Anniek_p and the slot of supporting presenters for this week is up as well. 

Curriculum Tags: All

https://samjshah.com/

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned the idea of these Estimation Stations from @mathgeek76 and @madisonsandig4 when they previewed them at TMC18. It's a way to make those Estimation 180 tasks and mash them up with Desmos Activity Builder. The result is pretty sweet and does a great job in helping students figure out how to make better estimates (dynamically). You really have to try this out to see it's benefit. Do that HERE. And then go to the latest post, below, to see the six stations that they have made so far.
Curriculum Tags: All
http://undercovercalculus.com/estimation-stations-beta/


Also a couple of weeks ago I showed a new beta feature in Desmos Activity Builder called snapshots. As it turns out they feel they have got all the bugs out and have taken it out of beta for general release. It's a great way to take your Activity Builder game to a new level. And if you have read the "Five Practices for Orchestrating Productive Mathematics Discussion" then this new tool is for you (and if you haven't the tool is still good but you should read the book too). Watch this video to get a sense of how this new feature works then read the blog post to get more details
Curriculum Tags: All
http://blog.desmos.com/post/176542603032/orchestrate-more-productive-mathematics

Interested in what 21st century math teaching/learning should be about. Then you might like this post and video from @profkeithdevlin. He has long been an advocate of maximizing the potential of the 21st century and to do so that means we have  to rethink how math is presented to students. As he says: "Teachers are taken aback to be told that calculation is less relevant in today’s world." Watch the video of his presentation and the summary at his post
Curriculum Tags: All
http://devlinsangle.blogspot.com/2018/07/by-keith-devlin-you-can-follow-me-on.html

So apparently scientists have discovered a new shape. Who knew that was a thing? Not me but thanks to @standupmaths I now know about the new shape (and the old shapes) and its connection to biology. And thanks to @Gelada for giving me an impromptu mini lesson on the history of new shapes.
Curriculum Tags: All
https://www.popsci.com/new-shape-scutoid

Although this may not be appropriate for all students, this graph on breast cancer survival rates from @monachilabi is pretty cool. Especially if you like heat maps.
Curriculum Tags: MDM4U
https://twitter.com/MonaChalabi/status/1025116579347017729

This one was complicated - which version do you think is clearest? This is the one I went with: https://t.co/8Guk02m6CQ pic.twitter.com/nwPBhhpayd

— Mona Chalabi (@MonaChalabi) August 2, 2018

Math Links for Week Ending Jul. 27th, 2018

I thought this was a fun experiment. Ride your bike 140 km, measure the length of your ruler's shadow, call your friend (back where you started) to measure their shadow, use some trig and viola, you've just not only shown the earth is spherical but estimated its circumference. That's what @KurtisBaute did. Great for conversations about the power of math (specifically trig).
Curriculum Tags: MPM2D, MFM2P
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaPa4esJJx4

Need some resources to help teach stats? Then the Stats Medic has your back. Full sets of
curriculum on statistical concepts and more are all available for download on this site. Thanks to  @bobloch for posting this one.
Curriculum Tags: MBF3C, MAP4C, MDM4U
http://thestatsmedic.com/

A pile of videos from Twitter Math Camp last week. First the three Keynotes from @DingleTeach, @JReulbach, and the trio of @GWaddellnvhs, @mathhombre & @Gelada

One thing that is unique (I think) to TMC is that each day there are sets of "My Favourites" presentations. These are 5-10 min presentations from participants on a topic that is usually short and sweet and sometimes may have nothing to do with math but good pedagogy. For example @Nomad_penguin did a great talk on the work she does helping students revise there math work. To me it looked like the editing/revision process that one would see in an english class. You can get her DropBox folder of resources in this area here and watch her My Favourite (below)

The rest of the My Favourites can be found here (including the one I did on the back story behind my viral video) but one of them was from @stoodle on how the #MTBoS community supported him through a tough time. The story of that time was part of a different event and will eventually be aired on the Story Collider but you can watch it here. And if you have ever felt like things were not going your way as a teacher, you might be able to resonate with this.

Another dynamic @Desmos tessellation from @sumdumthum
Curriculum Tags: All
https://twitter.com/SumDumThum/status/1020858759478833152

Okay this one's a little weird.

I found a circle packing on wikipedia, turned it into a tiling of wonky pentagons and septagons, and did a dual transition of that.#mathart https://t.co/jLKOPXtMO4 pic.twitter.com/VB5UIePJVe

— Andrew Osborne (@SumDumThum) July 22, 2018

This set of @Desmos eyes from @Gelada is cool but would be cooler with a some of them blinking
Curriculum Tags:All
https://twitter.com/Gelada/status/1021871471373824000

And now a parametric grid of eyes… https://t.co/nqMfYjQEJ0 @Desmos @TheMillerMath pic.twitter.com/b0MOiqzlOl

— Edmund Harriss (@Gelada) July 24, 2018

Math Links for Week Ending Jul. 20th, 2018

I've had a busy week or so (and it's not done yet). At Twitter Math Camp (#tmc18 - more on this next week probably) currently and prior to that was at the Desmos Fellowship (#desmosfellows). And out of both came some new features in Desmos. The first has been around for a while and is still technically in beta but has been quietly released to the the general public. That's the ability to included Geometry constructions in Activity Builder. But the new feature just added is something called Snapshot which allows you to take screenshots of various student screens and then arrange them in up to groups of 4 in a slideshow type format for discussion. It's pretty slick. To turn these on, when you are at Teacher.Desmos.com, click on your icon and choose Desmos Labs. So try this stuff out and break stuff, then make awesome things.
Curriculum Tags" All

I presented a morning session (three 2 hour sessions) with @MFAnnie on using Desmos Geometry here at TMC18. We covered basic construction, building activities and appropriate use of dynamic geometry with kids. You can check out our links here.
Curriculum Tags: Gr7, Gr8, MPM1D, MFM1P
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Hsqud7jBd7iXs02RHg5muPAsT7yqUYlR24sscKngxno/edit?usp=sharing

One of the coolest things, I think, was this short My Favourites presentation from @mathgeek76 and @MadisonSandig4. It was a demo of a Desmos activity for estimation that I had mentioned before but had been tweaked to make it even better. SERIOUSLY, try this out using THIS LINK and particularly pay attention to what happens when you click the button on slide 5. So good for talking to students about the power of information when making estimates. Below is the editable activity for you to try out.
Curriculum Tags: Gr7, Gr8, MPM1D, MFM1P
https://teacher.desmos.com/activitybuilder/custom/5b50d8f46756715f79e1e12e

Here is the teacher link! @mathgeek76 @Desmos activity: My favorite: Estimation Station 1 (TMC)! https://t.co/r3k0UlL0fB

— Madison Sandig (@madisonsandig4) July 21, 2018

If you are looking for a free cool tool to use to help your students practice their skills, then look no further than @MrDeltaMath's  http://www.deltamath.com site. He has literally 1000s of questions on many topics at many levels from beginning algebra to calculus (and beyond). Most of the questions (as far as I can tell) are either interactive and/or dynamic and you can create classes and assignments for students to participate in. He is constantly improving the site but even now there is far too much to put in this little blurb. One ProTip for my fellow Canadians, when you register, just put any 5 digits in for the zip code.
Curriculum Tags: All
https://www.deltamath.com/teacher

For I will highlight some more sessions and things from TMC18 next week but for now you can look at all the resources that are being posted on the Wiki.
Curriculum Tags: All
http://twittermathcamp.pbworks.com/w/page/66474056/TMathC%20FrontPage


Are you a fan of Noticing and Wondering? Then you might like one of these custom designed T-shirts from @MFAnnie. Cheap and cool
Curriculum Tags:All
https://twitter.com/MFAnnie/status/1020169540448251905

Okay #tmc18 and others, check out https://t.co/WgrHM3hqaQ and see if you can buy the awesome #NoticeWonder Woman t-shirt. You can also search https://t.co/ncLF5ibfrw for Notice Woman and hopefully it shows up. pic.twitter.com/OIAPW2qkGC

— Annie Fetter (@MFAnnie) July 20, 2018

Not at TMC18 but just a basic activity from @trianglemancsd for introducing the idea of critical points. Just three slides but I think quite powerful. Make a copy and modify it for any function
Curriculum Tags: MCV4U
https://teacher.desmos.com/activitybuilder/custom/5b4a2de6906a434690e6a1cb

Here's a great hashtag, #MathPhoto18 to follow about math related images that was mentioned in @mathhombre,  @gwaddellnvhs & @Gelada' Keynote. For the rest of their resources go here
Curriculum Tags: All
https://twitter.com/search?f=tweets&vertical=default&q=%23MathPhoto18&src=tyah

Looking up at a light at Colton’s in Jonesboro, AR #MathPhoto18 Week 5 challenge #ITeachMath #symmetry pic.twitter.com/i9YcvnEHgV

— Trenity Fritz (@TrenityFritz) July 21, 2018

There were some great ideas for Geometry in @Jomalleyiv 's TMC18 session. Here's a sneak peak at a really simple activity where you give a pair of students images like these and one has to describe it to the other to draw. Great for honing in on vocabulary.
Curriculum Tags: Gr7, Gr8, MPM1D, MFM1P
https://twitter.com/davidpetro314/status/1020021131972145152

Use words only ( ala Pictionary) to describe these geometric figures so your partner can accurately reproduce it. via @jomalleyiv ‘s #Tmc18 #geometry session #mathchat #mtbos #iTeachmath pic.twitter.com/S34ddpZoaP

— David Petro (@davidpetro314) July 19, 2018

A neat visualizations via @SimonGerman600
Curriculum Tags: MDM4U

Unsurprisingly #Russia has the largest fleet of #Icebreakers. #Finnland ranks second. I was a bit surprised to learn that #SouthAfrica had an icebreaker. Source: https://t.co/JQ51DlaqJX pic.twitter.com/oL0tE3CvaR

— Simon Kuestenmacher (@simongerman600) March 30, 2018

And one from @MashupMath
Curriculum Tags: MDM4U
https://twitter.com/mashupmath/status/1019582475314581504

This would make a great Think-Notice-Wonder activity: U.S. Population Distribution! #iteachmath #mtbos #msmathchat pic.twitter.com/KB0Pcq16MV

— Mashup Math (@mashupmath) July 18, 2018

Math Links for Week Ending Jul. 13th, 2018

As I am getting ready to hang out at the Desmos HQ for the Desmos Fellowship weekend, it seems fitting that this collaboration from other Desmos Fellows was released. If you are at all interested in honing your Computational Layer skills then these examples are just the thing for you. This newly created Desmos Computational Layer forum is the place for all kinds of code examples. It's the summer, so dive in and get coding.
Curriculum Tags: All
https://cl.desmos.com/c/examples

The @Desmos Fellows CL Bank of Wonders is Publichttps://t.co/ZUYrDbv5iE Need to make something? find it here! Have something to share? POST it here! Great work @jocedage @MrCorleyMath for setting this up, posts by @jreulbach @sergeballif @rilesblue @von_Oy @pattystephens #mtbos

— Jay Chow (@mrchowmath) July 10, 2018

I have noticed these same issues with conversion as @TheErickLee points out.  Check out this post to get some insight into how to use these in class.
Curriculum Tags: MPM2P, MBF3C, MAP4C
https://pbbmath.weebly.com/blog/pool-conversions

If you haven't seen the benefits of students on whiteboards in your classes, I have certainly mentioned them here a lot. Here @mathletepearce gives you a lot of the research and tips that have been floating around.

Curriculum Tags: All
https://tapintoteenminds.com/whiteboards/

And clearly they are on the same wavelength because his partner in crime @MrOrr_Geek has got some advice about the benefits of whiteboards in his classes too.
Curriculum Tags: All
https://mrorr-isageek.com/whiteboards/

Who couldn't use this image as a prompt for some great math discussion
Curriculum Tags: Gr7, Gr8
https://twitter.com/mathycathy/status/1015724514880221184

That’s a lotta gummy fish. #iteachmath #MTBoS #IKEAmath pic.twitter.com/pZkZaNKFPU

— Cathy Yenca (@mathycathy) July 7, 2018

What a great visualization from @MonaChilabi on the positions of penalty goal shots from World Cup and European Championships
Curriculum Tags: MDM4U
https://twitter.com/MonaChalabi/status/1017131729922846720

Just in case there's a penalty shoot-out, here's this (based on data from 44 World Cup and European Championship Games 1976-2016 collected by Opta and The Economist) pic.twitter.com/bIB05pQ5gB

— Mona Chalabi (@MonaChalabi) July 11, 2018

Math Links for Week Ending July 6th, 2018

I have been doing a lot with Desmos Geometry lately, including things with tessellations and that appears to be what their latest blog post is about. There are some fun examples within so try not to play for too long
Curriculum Tags: Gr7
http://blog.desmos.com/post/175384214302/friday-fave-for-june-29

Do you need some help with Desmos, well @marybourassa presented at the Exeter Academy recently had has all kinds of tips and tricks available on her latest blog post.
Curriculum Tags: All
http://marybourassa.blogspot.com/2018/06/desmos-at-exeter-2018.html




Some fun with transformations (and Obama)
Curriculum Tags: Gr7, Gr8
https://twitter.com/LukeSelfwalker/status/1013956335044612096

Wana play around with a linear transformation of Poly-Obama? Just move the i and j vectors to find the matrix you like the best. https://t.co/2Hi0Mzz54z#mathart pic.twitter.com/OgYKqNynS9

— Luke Walsh (@LukeSelfwalker) July 3, 2018

"Maria Agnesi, the Greatest Female Mathematician You've Never Heard of"
Curriculum Tags: All
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/maria-agnesi-the-greatest-female-mathematician-youve-never-heard-of/

From @MrOrr_Geek, some advice on the paradigm that often, in a classroom, you are hurrying up ro killing time. His solution ? Have you heard of Desmos? Specifically Activity Builder.
Curriculum Tags: All
https://mrorr-isageek.com/hurry/

Of course the world cup is going on and @standupmaths has you covered with the number of possible outcomes for any team. Some tree diagrams, powers, and combinatorics can be found here.
Curriculum Tags: Gr7, Gr8, MDM4U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btcVNMA7hYI

Who doesn't like a physical example of a square root?
Curriculum Tags: All
https://twitter.com/rinahyland/status/1013946117099282433

Enjoying square roots, summer version. pic.twitter.com/zjv7kDEsNh

— Rina Hyland (@rinahyland) July 3, 2018

A poem from @mathgarden on what success in mathematics could be
Curriculum Tags: All
https://twitter.com/Mathgarden/status/1014566561770700800

If we think "Student Success" can be found in a grade, a number, or in a rubric, then we need to rethink what "success" means...or maybe, realize that "success" itself is a superficial benchmark for learning mathematics... pic.twitter.com/ewytL5Xzi3

— Sunil Singh (@Mathgarden) July 4, 2018

This Fibonacci based kinetic sculpture is coo. Thanks to @bardprincess for pointing this one out. Check the link out for more info.
Curriculum Tags: All
http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2018/07/kinetic-sculpture-based-on-the-fibonacci-sequence/

A reminder that the real world doesn't often match up to our math classes.
Curriculum Tags: All
https://twitter.com/ddmeyer/status/1015296170803859456

Holy non-linear ice cream pricing, math batman. pic.twitter.com/nDcBJsjpt9

— Dan Meyer (@ddmeyer) July 6, 2018