I often get asked what software I use in teaching math.I have been involved in educational computing for decades, and over that time, I have developed some preferences which are not always the dominant ones in the marketplace.- Fathom vs. Excel. Spreadsheets are a powerful environment for teaching math, and one place where a strong… Continue reading Software for high school math
Tag: Technology
Completing the Square animation
A correspondent sent me a Geometer's Sketchpad version of my Completing the Square animation. I posted it.I often use technology that is different from what many math teachers use. (Cabri rather than GSP, TI-89 rather than 83/84.) Thus I depend on outside contributors to send me other versions of the files I post. Thanks in… Continue reading Completing the Square animation
Summer Workshops: Early Bird discount deadline
This is the last reminder about my summer workshops for math teachers.* June 1 is the last day to take advantage of the early bird discount for my workshops in San Francisco (Visual Algebra and Hands-On Geometry. In between those, Kate Mackrell will offer a workshop on Cabri 3D.)* There are still openings in the… Continue reading Summer Workshops: Early Bird discount deadline
Interactive White Boards (continued)
In response to my post on IWBs, Joy Wolfe writes:Thanks for blogging a response to Mr. Ferriter's seemingly ignorant bashingof the use of IWBs. Amen to what you wrote! When I first read the article,I was extremely frustrated. It saddened me that Mr. Ferriter seemed to havehad little training in the use of his interactive… Continue reading Interactive White Boards (continued)
Interactive White Boards
An expanded and illustrated version of this post was published in The Mathematics Teacher, November 2010. Read it here. ---------------------------------------------------------------------Teacher Magazine published "Why I Hate Interactive Whiteboards", a passionate article by one Bill Ferriter. Hatred seems like a strong reaction to an inanimate object -- but as it turns out it is tied to frustration… Continue reading Interactive White Boards
Slide Rules
A correspondent writes:I have no idea how a slide rule works, but I'd like to learn. I mean that's wrong. I obviously have an idea, but I've never used one, and I think it'd be good to show students how they work. I learned how to use a slide rule in high school. I still have… Continue reading Slide Rules
Tools
I added a new page: For a Tool-Rich Pedagogy. At the bottom, there are links organized by tool, so that you can quickly find, say, all Fathom files on the site, or all pages involving pattern blocks. (Well, "all" may be an exaggeration, but I did try to make the links as comprehensive as I… Continue reading Tools
Geometry of the Conic Sections, cont’d
New pages:Geometry of the Conic Sections (emphasis on the ellipse): 2D | 3DExtension of a geometry activity with interesting connections to the conics: Soccer AnglesUpdated page (not counting pages where I just added links):Geometry of the ParabolaNew worksheets for students (PDFs):A Geometric Construction Unit (Teachers' Guide)Geometry of the EllipseConics Graph Paper: Two Foci | Focus-DirectrixI… Continue reading Geometry of the Conic Sections, cont’d
Geometry of the Conic Sections
I posted a fair amount of material about the Geometry of the Conic Sections -- basically my December 5 Asilomar talk, supporting pages and documents, and more or less closely related material.Check it out, and follow the links, as there are quite a few new things to look at! Including Web pages, PDFs, images, and… Continue reading Geometry of the Conic Sections
Computers in math education
Last summer, as part of the Center for Innovative Teaching Tech Symposium, I gave a talk on the use of computers in math education. The audience was school leaders (administrators who focus on educational leadership), not math teachers, so I had to take a couple of steps back, and think about the question in terms… Continue reading Computers in math education
Henri's Math Education Blog 