Math Links for Week Ending Mar. 4th, 2016

With so many tools out there for teachers to use it is hard to know what is worthwhile to invest in. So it is always good when someone gives you the 411 on their favourites (with reasons). In this series of posts @Mr_stadel outlines his favourite tools (Google Forms, Pear Deck and Desmos) and one of his not so favorites (Kahoot!). He starts off describing his criteria for his needs in a tech tool. He wants his tools to help with capturing, sorting, assessing and discussing student thinking. Each of the posts goes through his faves and he finishes with a post about why he doesn't love Kahoot! (and it's more than just the timing aspect). I am only a little familiar with Pear Deck (I tend to use Nearpod instead) but the rest I am fully on board for. Get the full scoop with each of the posts below.
Curriculum Tags: All
http://mr-stadel.blogspot.com/2016/01/tech-tool-criteria.html
http://mr-stadel.blogspot.ca/2016/02/my-tech-tools-google-forms.html
http://mr-stadel.blogspot.com/2016/02/my-tech-tools-pear-deck.html
http://mr-stadel.blogspot.com/2016/02/my-tech-tools-desmos.html
http://mr-stadel.blogspot.com/2016/02/my-tech-tools-kahoot.html

We gave a couple of workshops this week and used a 3Act task from @ddmeyer. It was good to see that he still continues to add to his list (over 70 so far). This one uses some stop motion video to do some volume comparison of how many Girl Scout Cookie boxes will fit into the back of an SUV. I like the impetus for this question which is a much simpler (and boring) version about how many times a small prism will fit into a large prism.
Curriculum Tags: Gr7, Gr8, MPM1D, MFM1P, MFM2P
http://blog.mrmeyer.com/2016/3acts-nissan-girl-scout-cookies/

Nissan Girl Scout Cookies – Act One from Dan Meyer on Vimeo.

I was talking to a colleague about working with beginning trig ratios and students practicing labelling the sides of right triangles and developing formulas to solve for the missing side. So I made a GSP sketch to generate random triangles to practice this without numbers. As always this is something that can be used on the iPad as well too. Get all the info at the link below
Curriculum Tags: MPM2D, MFM2P, MCR3U, MCF3M, MBF3C
http://engaging-math.blogspot.ca/2016/02/geometers-sketchpad-trig-ratio-generator.html

@marybourassa has a quick activity that shows that you really only need to make minor tweaks to what you already to do help students move along their thinking. This activity is built around the intersection of two lines but is coupled with building towers out of snap cubes.
Curriculum Tags: MPM2D, MFM2P
http://marybourassa.blogspot.ca/2016/02/linking-cube-towers.html

In his latest video @standupmaths takes on the myth perpetuated by math teachers around the world that there is more than one parabola. It's an extension to a video he posted a couple of weeks ago but in this one he proves that there is only one parabola (and reviews the rules of similarity at the same time). Note: It's pretty algebra filled so it may not be interesting to all students.
Curriculum Tags:  MPM2D, MCR3U, MCF3M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoh4TmPzu1w

Let me be clear, I don't really like these but I like the idea that by packaging questions like this, people will gladly do them. So I guess all we have to do is rewrite textbooks and before every question write "only geniuses get this"
Curriculum Tags: Gr7, Gr8
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1764192357238367&set=a.1409071132750493.1073741828.100009428599268&type=3&theater