Use the Wireless Mouse from the BACK OF YOUR ROOM!

I learned a tip yesterday that most certainly will help my students. It is that I should use a wireless mouse in class. Here is what I mean. You just have your mouse with you while you are in the back of the room and then when you need to do anything on your computer you can just scroll your mouse on any available surface. The mouse I have works from any location in my room.  The mouse I have works from any location in my room. So while still in the back of the room you can scroll your mouse on a free desk or even your pant leg and it will work.

Here is how I see it best used.

1. Helping students without "rescuing" them.

Sometimes I have to go up to the SMART Board to actually help a student out of a jam. This will help me to be able to guide them out of that jam without too much interference by staying in the back of the room and guiding them with the mouse in my hand.  I will only have to move my mouse wherever I'm at to help them. If I'm at a desk in the back of the room, I can just scroll the mouse on the desk, or you could just scroll the mouse on the side of your leg. It is a snap.

2. Giving the mouse to a student to work on a problem directly from their desk.  There are times and occasions that I want a student to show how to do something.  This will be an excellent opportunity to simply give the student the mouse and have them work out and explain to everyone what they are doing.

Besides a direct help to the students I can advance a slide from anywhere in the room or I can point to something at the board without having to be at the front of the room.  What a beautiful thing!

My daughter gave me the Logitech M215 wireless mouse for Christmas.  I think it costs about $30.  Although I just searched and found it at TARGET for $15.  Someone else told me that it was on Woot.com for $5 at one time.  As you can see in the picture the USB insert is very small.  I really like that.  Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Thanks goes out to my Naperville Central Colleagues Flint Collier and Dan Olandese for sharing this tip with me.  I love it!

Best,
Dave

How do you see it helping you?

Find all the Conics that you can in this 1 minute Video

Conics are EVERYWHERE.  I just took a flip video and taped of a few clips of some conic sections around town and then put them in a 1 minute video.  I asked the students to remember as many of the images that they could.  They were to try to identify the shape (parabola, ellipse, hyperbola, or circle) and what the object was.  It was very interesting to hear the discussion.

Some observations the students made.

The Taco-Bell clip looks like the bottom of the bell is an ellipse, whereas the top part looked like a parabola. There were some arches that looked like a semi-ellipse.
Someone pointed out the circle that is the steering wheel and the tires on cars.
The tower was a parabolic dish.
McDonald's had two parabolas.
The gas station had an elliptical sign.
There was a big argument about the wires on the sidewalk. The only thing it was not called was circular.
The stone arrangement looked like a semi-circle. Since the video is from an angle it almost looks like an semi-ellipse.
The bridge had some discussion as well between a hyperbola and a parabola.
The last clip was simply a nuclear plant shaped like a hyperbola.

Most of all, it created some great MATH discussions. Give it a try.
Dave



13 Reasons I'm THANKFUL for being a TEACHER!

Here are some reasons why I'm THANKFUL for being a teacher!

1.  Every Day is Different 
Actually every class is different, every student is different, every parent is different... and so on.  I love the fact that the activities are always varied, and thus always fresh.

2.  I get to answer questions.
There is a certain amount of pride in answering questions.  If students ask questions, I know that they want to know something more.

3.  My Students.
I love the energy of young people.  I thrive working with students and the fresh ideas they bring.  Spending time with young people keeps me young.

4.  I get to use new technology daily.
SMARTBoard, Flip Videos, Laptops, Tablet Laptops, Computer Lab, and of course MY CALCULATOR.

5.  Problem Solving. 
Teaching gives me a chance to problem solve on a daily basis.  I find the challenges engaging.  They give me a sense of accomplishment.  How do students best learn?  How can I make the material engaging?

6.  My Colleagues
I love working with the people in my department and my school.  They are so supportive and downright fun to be with. 

7.  Coaching
Coaching gives me a chance to work with my students in a different way.  I love working with a team to try to accomplish something you can't alone.

8.  Our new facility

Our school finished the renovation project this year.  It is gorgeous.  Check out my room in this video.



9.  Math

I love math.  I love numbers.  I get to work with numbers everyday. 

10.  Stories

First of all, I get to tell my family stories about my adventures in teaching.   Secondly,  I realize that I need to find out each student's story.   

11.  Former Students

It is so rewarding to have former students stay in touch with me.  I recently saw a former student of mine and she is currently a teacher herself.  It was terrific to see her passion for her students and for her profession. 

12.  I get PAID for doing something I love!

13.  I'm also very thankful for vacations.  Thanksgiving, Holiday Break, Spring Break, and SUMMER!

What are you thankful for?

Happy Thanksgiving,

Dave

Sum of Three

I got this activity from my brother-in-law and really like it.  It is called "Sum of Three".   In essence you have students in groups of three each doing a different problem.  Then you have them add the answers together to be the sum of the three answers.  They will bring this number up to you and ask if this is correct.  If they are correct, then they get to move on to the next problem set.  If they are incorrect, then they must decide how to go about getting the correct answer.  This is the best part of the activity.  When the students get the problem wrong, they automatically think it is somebody elses mistake.  They then will systematically go through the process of how to do the problem with everyone.  It is a great group activity.  Here are my directions.  I have given a couple examples as well. 
1.  Get your class into groups of three.   I always do this on a random basis.  Let's say you had 26 people in your class.  Take 26 kids divided by 3 and you get 8 full groups of three.  Count students one, two, three, and so on till eight, then start back at one, two, three and keep doing this until you run out of people.  In this case, you will have 6 groups that have 3 in it and 2 groups that have 4 in it.  Now the ones get together and the twos get together and so on.
2.  Hand out a problem set A in paper form to each group.   This will have three problems in it.  A1, A2, and A3.  Each student will work on a different problem.  The group will then add the sum of all three answers. 
3.  When a group thinks it has a sum, they bring up THEIR PAPER to show you their answer.  Don't have the students SAY the sum.  This might give it away for the other students.  If they are correct, give them the problem set B in paper form.  If they are incorrect, then they must go back and find out where they made a mistake.
4.  I have my students do all their work on a separate piece of paper to be turned in.  This creates a little accountability as well as a place for them to work.
5.  You will have to decide how many sets of problems you will want.  I typically have 3 to 4 sets.  I have the last set as extra difficult.

Here are a couple of examples of the "Sum of Three" activity.



This is a problem set for multiplying fractions in Intro to Algebra



This is the answer sheet that I use when the students come up to give me their SUM.



This is an Algebra "Sum of Three" problem set.  I have the students add the y-intercepts of the line.


PDF of the FRACTIONS "SUM OF THREE" ACTIVITY

PDF of the EQUATION OF A LINE "SUM OF THREE" ACTIVITY

 

Awesome Color Graphing Calculator ONLINE

Now I really like this one.  I like it because it is very easy to use.  It can graph my lines in color.  It can graph an inequality.  It is absolutely free.  Just go to the site below and use away.  It doesn't have all the bells and whistles that a TI-84 would have.  I think I like it for displaying multiple graphs at once.  This makes it so much easier to see the different graphs.  You can say "Where the green function and the red fucntion intersect".  Let me know what you think.
Best,
Dave
http://my.hrw.com/math06_07/nsmedia/tools/Graph_Calculator/graphCalc.swf

Online Graphing Color Calculator Click Here

I AM A ...Stand Up, Auditory, Randomly Chosen Students Activity

1.  Have your students stand up.
2.  Have 5 "I am a..." questions ready to ask.  (I have given you a few examples below)
3.  Tell the students that they are not to shout out answers for this activity.  They should think of the answer and be ready to give it when called on.  
4.  Explain to your students that you will be calling students at random for the answer.  Also explain that they will be doing this completely by listening to the question.  They will not be allowed to write out anything.
5.  Give the question and then give the students some "think" time before you call on someone. 
6.  Call on someone to answer the question.  Have them justify the answer.
7.  Call a new person to verify or change the answer.   Do this until you get 2 people in a row to verify an answer. 
8.  Verify the answer yourself and then move to the next question.

It is a great lesson on LISTENING and MENTAL MATH.  It only takes a couple of minutes and the students like it.   You get a high involvement rate because you are being called on at random. This is an activity that I do not assess.  It is also a great review session that breaks up the regular day.  Give it a try and let me know what you think.

All the Best,
Dave

See the examples below.

Intro to Algebra Area and Perimeter

Algebra

Intro to Algebra Fractions

 Precalculus Polynomials



My 10 Tips for Math Class

Mr. Sladkey’s top 10 tips for Math Class


1. Do the example problems from the book.


Most math text books have examples that are completely worked out with the solution given. Take a piece of paper and hide the textbook answer and work, but show the question. Redo the problem and then check your work with their work and solution.


2. Study for Tests and Quizzes.


It is easy to just do the review homework and feel like you are ready for the test. You need to do this and more. Study for the test or quiz by going back through problems that have been given and solved in class. Actually redo them and check your work. Studying for math is DOING the MATH.


3. Make sure your homework is correct.


Check your answers with those that are in the back of the book while you are doing your assignment.


4. Do math EVERYDAY.


Do your homework every day. Try not to skip any days of homework. If you are cramming all your work into a short single session you will find this usually ends up in frustration as well as poor long term memory with the topic.


5. Attempt the most difficult questions.


The most difficult questions will usually teach you the most about the material. Never skip them. Try to get the most exposure to these problems as you can. Try to solve them on your own. Revisit them. Go in for help. Ask a question on the problems in class.


6. Take a break.


Give yourself a break when working with math. If you are being efficient, then three fifteen minute sessions in a day are better than one 45 minute session. Stand up. Stretch. Go for a walk. Move your work to a new place. A break is needed when working with math.


7. Have a good attitude.


Never think “I’m terrible at math”. You usually meet your own expectations. Believe that you can do it!


8. Go in for help with your teacher and bring a specific question.


When you bring in a specific question to your math teacher they can help you with where you are struggling. The teacher then can typically give you more examples that are similar to what you are struggling with.


9. 5 minutes.


Once your homework is done, then take an extra 5 minutes to look at these possible things: vocabulary, formulas, notes, projects, and book examples.


10. Go to http://www.khanacademy.org/


This is a collection of free video tutorials involving almost any math topic that you could think of. This is by far the most useful website that I have ever recommended for a math class.


What are your thoughts on these?  Would you add to them?  Would you take any away?
 I have posted these in a word document if you would like to modify these in any way.  Feel free.

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