When Will I Use This? Why Math Education Needs to Adapt to the Real World

Excerpt by Education Editor, Liz Dwyer, of GOOD...

:::Sol Garfunkel, executive director of the Consortium for Mathematics and Its Applications and David Mumford, emeritus professor of mathematics at Brown, argue that instead of teaching each student the same sequence of algebra, geometry and calculus courses, those should be replaced with practical, skills-based math classes in finance, data and basic engineering. "In the data course, students would gather their own data sets and learn how, in fields as diverse as sports and medicine, larger samples give better estimates of averages," they offer as an example.

So does that mean students should be put on two different kinds of math education tracks—one for students that plan to enter STEM fields, and one for everyone else? Not necessarily; all students need to learn some of the more abstract mathematical concepts too. There needs to be a place for both "useable knowledge and abstract skills," the authors conclude.

If our math curricula actually creatively connected students to the "why" through project-based learning or teaching real-life applications (for example, using taxes to teach calculus), students would remember much more of what they learned in class. Everyone—including students who go on to become scientists, engineers and mathematicians—would gain a deeper understanding of how math applies to the world, while also being able to comprehend the federal budget.::: (((read the full article here...)))

Cool Classroom Presentation Resource

This beats Power Point! 

<website

ecHo on Prezi

Thiel Fellows

Following this post, there is a post with a video titled, College Conspiracy. The two posts are closely related. 

Want Success in Silicon Valley? Drop Out of School

By CLAIRE CAIN MILLER (excerpt of) Article from NY Times

Bloomberg NewsPeter Thiel

Parents, do you hope that your children have the chance to become like Peter Thiel, the PayPal co-founder, Facebook investor and hedge fund manager? If so, Mr. Thiel suggests that you encourage them to drop out of school. In fact, he will help by paying them to do it.

On Wednesday, the Thiel Foundation, funded by Mr. Thiel, announced the first group of Thiel Fellows, 24 people under 20 who have agreed to drop out of school in exchange for a $100,000 grant and mentorship to start a tech company.

More than 400 people applied. The winners include Laura Deming, 17, who is developing anti-aging therapies; Faheem Zaman, 18, who is building mobile payment systems for developing countries; and John Burnham, 18, who is working on extracting minerals from asteroids and comets.

The fellowship addresses two of the country’s most pressing problems, Mr. Thiel says: a bubble in higher education and a dearth of Americans developing breakthrough technologies.

Much of the technological talent these days is going into Web sites and apps. Mr. Thiel says he has no problem with those — Facebook has made him a billionaire. But “there’s a more urgent need for innovation” in other areas, he said, like biomedical technology, nanotechnology, transportation and energy.

Mr. Thiel, a contrarian investor and libertarian known for his controversial views, knows that suggesting education is not always worth it strikes at the core of many Americans’ beliefs. But that is exactly why is he doing it.

“We’re not saying that everybody should drop out of college,” he said. The fellows agree to stop getting a formal education for two years but can always go back to school. The problem, he said, is that “in our society the default assumption is that everybody has to go to college.”.....Continue the article here~

(Hopefully in the near future,  the diversity grows to include more people of color and women. Spread the word) Thiel Foundation Website

College Conspiracy

I am very grateful for the education I received, undergraduate and graduate. This video is incredibly insightful, and proves the need to determine whether the cost of college and/or applying for student loans is worth it.

I don't know the answer to that. Education is very valuable to me....however, I also believe education can be attained without college walls. Takes more planning, but well worth the time and thought. Of course, this does not apply to science and medicine, a few other majors. There are creative ways to gain an education however, if one approaches the time frame within the traditional 4-6 year degree path.

Years ago I probably would have never encouraged education outside of college, but everything has changed: the expense is unbelievable, college graduates and Master's program students graduate and cannot spell or construct a grammatically correct sentence, and work is no longer guaranteed. College can be crucial for one's development and intelligence, but so can a well-planned experience where one learns discipline and perseverance through travel; the supplement and augment of weak areas with research and a few online classes; service work that personally feeds the individual; and an apprenticeship path. There is also the philosophy that the invention brainstorming process is cultivated in middle school, whereby students are empowered to solve problems and enhance humanity through contributions of invention. This is what teenagers did before school, and before capitalism.

KHAN ACADEMY~ I LOVE THIS MATH RESOURCE!

"I teach the way that I wish I was taught. 

The lectures are coming from me, an actual human being 

who is fascinated by the world around him."

—Sal

This is a super resource! Any math concept you do not understand, just look for a video and you will be instructed on the concept! Over 2000 videos are included on the website, ranging from basic Arithmatic to Physics and Trigonometry. There are also test prep sections for SAT math and the GMAT, as well as Science videos that include Astronomy, Chemistry and Biology! Your instructor...

...is Salman Khan and he is revolutionizing education. 

Here is a sample video from YouTube, 
but it is also listed/available on the Khan Academy website:

Text Lingo Appearing in Schoolwork?

Source: KomoNews.com


VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) - i luv Romeo & Juliet cuz u get to c how in luv the 2 caractrz r :p

Beginning sentences with lower case letters. Substituting single letters for whole words. Using an ampersand instead of spelling out the word "and." Adding letters and punctuation to make those cute little emoticons.

Clark County teachers have seen it all.

While it's become typical to see "LOL" and "JK" pop up in text messages and Internet chat sessions, teachers are also finding text slang seeping into their students' written work.

"OMG it's everywhere," quipped Mike Kleiner, an eighth-grade social studies teacher at Chief Umtuch Middle School in Battle Ground.

With preteens and teens relying on their thumbs to communicate, Kleiner said it's no surprise that text lingo is appearing in students' schoolwork.

"I don't think it's a question of they don't know any better," he said. "The thing is, they don't practice any better. They're doing what they practice."

Based on observations from area teachers, many teens appear to be spending quite a bit of their time abbreviating and leaving vowels out of words. read the full article...

Fate of the World Trailer 1

From the concept, to the music and soft visuals, this video game feels right!

fateoftheworld.net