iPads, MakerEd and More in Education

Presented by Sara Delano Moore, Ph.D., Director of Professional Learning

Computers and computer science are an ever-increasing part of our world. Computational thinking is foundational to these fields; it also supports mathematical process and practice standards. Computational thinking includes four core components: patterning, decomposition, algorithmic thinking, and abstraction. How do these ideas support grade-level mathematical concepts and skills? How do they develop the thinking skills required for careers in the STEM fields?

In this edWebinar, Sara Delano Moore, Ph.D., Director of Professional Learning at ORIGO Education, will provide an overview of computational thinking and explore the components of patterning and abstraction in more depth. She will introduce you to problems and learning experiences which develop this thinking with age-appropriate tasks. See how these unplugged tasks develop student thinking around mathematical structure and quantitative reasoning.

Today, there is a lot of pressure in our society to have young children to learn to code: from industry, from government, from academics in computer science, from non-profit and from for-profit organizations.

Coding is not new in education.

Forty, fifty years ago, Papert and his team developed Logo, which was an environment for young children to learn to code.

Welcome to my 109th gems post. This is where I share some of the latest news, ideas and resources for maths teachers.

One snowy January day, I asked a classroom of college students to tell me the first word that came to mind when they thought about mathematics. The top two words were “calculation” and “equation.”

When I asked a room of professional mathematicians the same question, neither of those words were mentioned; instead, they offered phrases like “critical thinking” and “problem-solving.”

This is unfortunately common. What professional mathematicians think of as mathematics is entirely different from what the general population thinks of as mathematics. When so many describe mathematics as synonymous with calculation, it’s no wonder we hear “I hate math” so often.

So I set out to solve this problem in a somewhat unconventional way. I decided to offer a class called “The Mathematics of Knitting” at my institution, Carthage College. In it, I chose to eliminate pencil, paper, calculator (gasp) and textbook from the classroom completely. Instead, we talked, used our hands, drew pictures and played with everything from beach balls to measuring tapes. For homework, we reflected by blogging. And of course, we knit.

Math and coding have a lot in common. Here's how educators can use coding in their classroom to support the mathematical practice standards and help students develop skills needed to join the STEM workforce.

Swirlly is a web based app designed to demonstrate the beauty of aesthetics of mathematics.

One of the greatest ironies is that mathematics, at its core, relies heavily on a foundation of doubt. So, this self-examination of our collective practices, biases, and neglect, is something that has been come to us by our own pursuit of mathematics.

In this illuminating talk, high school mathematics teacher and YouTube star Eddie Woo shares his passion for mathematics, declaring that “mathematics is a sense, just like sight and touch” and one we can all embrace.

Using surprising examples of geometry, he encourages everyone to seek out the patterns around us, for “a whole new way to see the world”. A public high school teacher for more than 10 years, Eddie Woo gained international attention when he posted videos of his classroom lessons online, to assist an ill student.

His YouTube channel, Wootube, has more than 200,000 subscribers and over 13 million views. Eddie believe that mathematics can be embraced and even enjoyed by absolutely everybody. He was named Australia’s Local Hero and was a Top 10 Finalist in the Global Teacher Prize for his love of teaching mathematics.

"Toy Theater is a website that offers a huge library of online games that students can play to hone their skills in language arts and mathematics. Toy Theater also offers a large library of virtual manipulatives that you can use in your mathematics lessons."