Yesterday I found out that I won a lottery that will cost me money

Theme: Technology!

NCTM accepted my proposal to speak at the NCTM annual meeting in Philadelphia next April. That's the good news. The down side is that getting there, hotel and registration ($241 for speakers) will set me back some. But the important thing for me is that I won. I’ve been submitting proposals annually since 2004 after Johnny Lott - then president of NCTM - informed me that affiliate groups were no longer going to get automatic invites to present at annual meetings. I did put up an argument about that since I disagreed with the decision to make it a completely level playing field since I thought affiliate groups deserved a perk for all the hard work they do in promoting NCTM interests. One of the NCTM board members at the time told me that even the president of NCTM has to submit a proposal. (Of course, that was a bit disingenuous since they do invite people to give presentations.)  At first glance that may seem to be a good idea, but after many years of observing presenters especially in the days pre-2007 when there were computer workshops I’ve been disappointed with what I’ve seen. I’ve brought up this issue many times with board members, presidents, etc. and they all had roughly the same response:  “That’s just your opinion. From our experience the sessions have been well received.” I can’t argue with that. But since my bias leans heavily in the direction of meeting the needs of 21st century learners through the use of technology, I’m almost always disappointed with what NCTM provides at the annual meetings technology-wise (as you might have guessed if you’ve been reading my blogs on a regular basis.)

It’s not always been this way. Back in the mid 90s when the Internet was just warming up NCTM had technology strands and even technology "conferences within a conference” (CWaCs) organized by the Math Forum in 1998 & 1999 which included the trucking in of computers from local schools so that there would be computer labs available at the conference. In 1996 Daryl Sternom a member of the local arrangements committee at the annual meeting in San Diego brought in a trailer carrying computers with Internet access and parked it near the convention center. (Read his report and watch short video below taken in 2010 as reminisces about that event.)




Those were heady times when an individual or group had some freedom to explore areas of interest. That's much more difficult to do today since the conference is a such a tightly woven enterprise. (I tried to do something this year. See the email I sent to this year's program chair. It was ignored.) But with the advent of Web 2.0 and its potential to help teachers and students learn math in dynamic new ways, it may be a good time to think creatively and shake things up a bit. Since doing a CWaC focusing on technology is not possible any more within the context of the conference - the cost factor is considered prohibitive by every member of NCTM's inner circle that I've ever talked to - CLIME would like to organize an independent event either before of during the annual conference next year that would highlight the power of Web 2.0 to change the ways students and teachers learn and teach mathematics.

A couple of years ago Gary Stager – a long time friend of CLIME’s initiatives (see description of his 2002 talk at a CLIME session) did a marvelous pre-Educon 2009 event  “Constructing Modern Math & Science Knowledge” event in Philly which I participated in.  I’ve been trying to convince him to hold a math themed one next April that could be held the day before the annual NCTM meeting. But if that doesn’t work out, I would like CLIME to do an online event that would model the power of cloud-based technology in math education. Please let me know if you are interested in helping to plan such an event. It would be great to have it be an onsite event, but an online version would be also be useful. Let me know if you are interested in helping with and/or supporting such an event. (Send Email)

From the blogs

Karim Kai Ani of mathalicious.com writes about his frustration with being wait listed for the conference in his latest blog NCTM 2012: We Need Your Help! He asks for your help in getting him on the program. Unfortunately, the conference planners still devote a huge block of conference time to what I call “Desert Island Math*” which still plays a large role in what’s on the conference agenda so there is little time devoted to more promising talks that speak to the issues of what teachers need to know and do in this Web based world.

Also, if you are presenting on a technology theme at the NCTM meeting please let me know. Maybe together we can send a strong message to the NCTM decision makers than technology should no longer be a conference frill but something that is part of the infrastructure of NCTM conferences. (For example, Internet access throughout the conference.)




Other related CLIME blog entries

• At the conference we can get by with a little help from our friends - link
• Karim Kai Ani - Math 2.0 Live! Elluminate session - link
• Board's response (2008) to the technology resolution is in... and it ain't pretty - link

*Math that can be done on a desert island (no batteries or electricity necessary or allowed.)

What makes math difficult? No(n)sense!

Wrap your brain around this picture. Makes perfect sense doesn't it? I just checked the figures on my calculator and the total is right. So that means that the Gold Hill folks were pretty good at addition. But unfortunately making sense out of things wasn't one of their strong points.

This sign - well actually one similar to it - gave me an idea for what I did (or you can do) with a 6th grade math class. (Click here.)

* See #WCYDWT on twitter.

Taking CLIME on the Road: Next stop Atlantic City (in October)

Clime will promote Math 2.0 in Atlantic City

CLIME will once again take advantage of NCTM's generosity* in order to share their vision of Math 2.0 with friends and colleagues at NCTM's regional conference in Atlantic City (NJ) this October at a booth in the exhibit hall. If you are planning to attend the Atlantic City conference and would like to help out or just spread the word about the vision we are promoting, let me know by email or sharing a comment below.
--------------------
Previous informative & influential posts:

• In search of math 2.0
• At the conference we can get by with a little help from our friends
• Retweet "NCTM thoughts aka we don't even exist!" - Last year at the fall regional meetings this statement resonated for me: "If I had to choose one thing that stood out that I learned from NCTM it's that a ridiculous number of math teachers are completely unaware of the online math teacher community." I assume this year things will be better. But progress is slow.

--------------------

*They offer a big discount to it's affiliate groups who would like to set up a booth in the exhibit hall.

More Takeaways from ISTE conference

Tom Petra sharing Google Earth ideas
(Poster session @ ISTE 2011)

My highlights
I've always been impressed with Google Earth as an amazing dynamic tool that lends itself to great math and science activities, but I haven't seen many examples that would be within the teacher's grasp to use. That's why it was a treat to discover Tom Petra's Real World Math activities which are the best I've seen so far.

From Tom's website:

Real World Math is a unique web resource for teachers that offers free math lessons and activities for grades 4-10. What makes these lessons so special is that they are presented on the virtual globe Google Earth. Real World Math contains downloads for over 30 interactive lessons, instructional tutorials, and other material that will let your students see Math in action. View our video below and explore the links on the side. Come and visit Real World Math! 

Using Google Earth in the Math Classroom (10:38)

ISTE Conference Reflections - My presentation - video available!

Click here for video of talk

In case you missed it, the title of my presentation at ISTE was Math 2.0: Scenes from the Dynamic Math Classroom. (My soon to be revised agenda page's link is here.) Besides promoting my vision of Math 2.0 and sharing some scenarios from potential dynamic classrooms, my personal goal for the session was to kick off my plan to write a "dynamic book" that is tentatively titled the same as my presentation "Math 2.0: Scenes from a Dynamic Classroom". It will include the five activities (stories) I mentioned in my talk:

1. Average traveler
2. Stock Market Game Jr.
3. Shopping Spree Adventures*
4. Measuring the Circumference of the Earth (In the spirit of Eratosthenes)
5. The Great Green Globs challenge

The first story I'm putting together is the Eratosthenes measurement activity/project which BTW is considered one of the greatest achievements of all time. (If you missed the video of Carl Sagan telling the Eratosthenes story before my session started you can see it at the Noon Day project** page here.) 

I will be chronicling my adventures in writing this book in my other blog. If you would like to be informed when I've updated this blog, please let me know by sending me an email: ihor@clime.org Of course, you can always sign up for an RSS feed at my other blog. 

Also if you would like to be on my emailing list please sign in at the agenda page for my session.

*See what Dan Meyer did at a grocery store that led to a great problem solving scenario. Link

**You can sign up your students for the Fall Noon Day project (not noted yet) starting on September 1st. Let me know if you are interested and I can help you with more details. 

My European Trip's Math Highlight

Benetton Store, Milan, Italy

I just got back from vacationing in Italy and Austria. While in a clothing store in Milan, I noticed the designation for what is on their three store levels. Maybe this is why some European countries do better in math than we do.

Speak at NCSM in April, 2012 in Philadelphia

Terri Belcher, Executive director of NCSM, reminded me that people sometimes confuse the two conferences (NCTM and NCSM) so to help clarify the distinction:

The National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics (NCSM) is a mathematics leadership organization for educational leaders that provides professional learning opportunities necessary to support and sustain improved student achievement. It is also an affiliate group of NCTM.

Their conference is held every year at the same location and during the same week as the annual NCTM Conference. Next year it is in Phildelphia April 23-25, 2012. The NCTM meeting is from April 25-28, 2012. The speaker proposals for NCTM were closed as of May 1st, but it's not too late to apply to speak at the NCSM Conference. The call for 2012 Philly speakers closes June 3, so there is plenty of time to submit a proposal to speak and to encourage others to do the same. Link to proposal form.

Resources for NCSM
• NCSM - Link

• PRIME Leadership Framework - Link

• NCSM Newsletter - Link

• NCSM Journal - Link