Category Archives: #MTBoS

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This is perfect for all of you who are newer to blogging or even just want to get back into it. It will be amazing fun!

samjshah's avatarContinuous Everywhere but Differentiable Nowhere

An Idea!

For a few weeks now, I have had this idea bouncing around in my head. A new blogger initiation! All it involves is writing four blogposts. There will be no hazing of any kind, except for the kind where we all say how much we think you’re awesome. That’s a form of hazing, right? Like happy hazing?

It has recently come to my attention that there are about a zillion new math teacher blogs that I don’t know about. They are new and probably awesome and exciting and fresh. I also have come to find out that there are a bunch of lurkers who are reading and absorbing and loving the math teacher blogs out there, but are on the fence about blogging themselves.

For those who have taken the leap and started blogging recently: awesome!!! Welcome! Define recently however you want… 3 months, a week, half a…

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Calling All Middle School Math Teachers! Please Fill Out My Survey to Connect!

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Middle school is an amazing place!  And those of us teaching middle schoolers truly love it!  They are fun, energetic, exciting, and most of all, new to higher math.  A few months ago I discovered many amazing middle school math blogs.  In the past few weeks, I have found even more middle school math teachers on Twitter. I am so excited to learn from all of these teachers.

To make this possible, I would love for middle school math teachers to fill out this survey (you will be taken to the Math Wiki to fill it out).  Once you are finished you will be able to see the results immediately.  

I plan on compiling a list (and will make a Twitter list as well).  I have a few other ideas floating around in my head that will enable us to share resources and help each other out during the school year.  Also, use and follow the hashtag #msmath when talking about middle school math.

If you have any ideas, please add them to the comments below!  What do you need to make yourself an even more amazing teacher?

My Very Own Personalized Blog T-Shirt: Made for Math Monday

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When Sam requested that I make a video for his Mathtwitterblogosphere website, his instructions were to “be creative if you would like”.  I would have loved to be creative and made up a song instead of just (awkwardly) talking.  But, he needed it asap and since I was post #tmc12 and pre-company, I didn’t have the time or energy.  However, when I was browsing through Michael’s last week I saw these and it gave me an idea.  Image

They are iron on letters. The letters were only $3 for the entire package.  And right below the letters, were blank t-shirts for sale – and for only $5.99!  They were cute too, fitted, cap sleeved t-shirts in multiple colors, for $5.99!!  I have never done iron on letters so $9 didn’t seem like too much of a risk.  The result?  

This was amazingly easy to do and only took about 10 minutes.  I was amazed at the results!  First, you have to prewash your shirt (no fabric softener).  Then, you just cut out the letters and iron them on.  I measured and would recommend starting your letters about 3″ away from the top of the shirt.  I put mine a little too high.  You need a piece of cotton to place over the letters so they don’t touch the iron.  I just used a white cotton t-shirt.  You only have to iron it for 30 seconds on each side.  There are at least 20 different designs, so you don’t have to go all pink and sparky, unless of course, you want to!

 

Every Teacher Should Twitter

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Seriously.  If you are a teacher, and you aren’t on Twitter (or at least reading math teacher blogs), you are seriously missing out on an amazing experience.  There is an entire network of brilliant math teachers who are very active on Twitter.  They are constantly sharing links and sending out tweets that contain information that is helpful and relevant to what I teach every day.  Here is what I see (and participate in) on Twitter everyday:

  • Lesson planning – a teacher will have an idea that needs developing.  He/she will tweet the beginnings of an idea.  Multiple teachers will read this tweet and make suggestions.  More teachers join and make more suggestions.  The idea grows and develops.  In minutes, you have an amazing idea that is more that you could have ever thought up on your own.
  • Links to amazing resources. – When teachers find a great idea, a new game, a cool graph, etc. they will tweet it out for all to see and enjoy.
  • Networking – It can be difficult for the too few, too busy teachers in your department at school to try to help you out during the day.  On Twitter, there are hundreds of teachers for each subject area.  And they love being on Twitter, and they love to talk to other teachers that teach their same subject.
  • Help – If you need something, tweet it!  Chances are, there is an amazing teacher out there that has exactly the resource you are looking for.  It is much more efficient than trolling the internet.
  • Support – Teaching is hard work, and we have some bad days.  There is nothing better than 15 – 20 teachers tweeting you warm fuzzies when you need it the most.  They’re going through it with you, and their words mean more than those from family and friends because they actually understand.

I know it seems daunting, but it’s really easy once you jump in.  You just need to create an account, start following people, and read the tweets.  Then, follow people who’s tweets you like.  Then jump in!  To make it very easy and painless, Sam Shaw created a website just for new teachers to make jump into tweeting and reading blogs easier.  This is where you should start.  Please visit his site to read a much better description of what the site it, then visit the site itself!

Welcome to the Mathtwitterblogosphere!

FREE Math Conference This Summer – BY Math Teachers, FOR Math Teachers

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#Math Camp – “Guerrilla PD for Math Teachers”

  • Cost:  FREE
  • Location:  St. Louis
  • Dates:  July 19th – July 22nd
  • Registration Deadline:  July 1st
  • Website:  http://needaredstamp.wordpress.com/
  • Facebook Site:  http://www.facebook.com/groups/191095674331446/

Yes, it’s FREE.  It was planned by two amazing math teachers, Lisa Henry and Shelli Temple, so that math educators around the country could come together, share our favorite resources, and develop new ideas for the coming year.

The conference is called #Math Camp.  (Many of the educators attending are also colleagues on Twitter.)  However, it is open to all math teachers and will cover topics from middle school math to Calculus.  We have been sharing resources, lesson planning, and doing book clubs together on Twitter.  These are amazing teachers on the cutting edge of education and technology.  What I love the most about this conference is that it is totally BY math teachers, FOR math teachers.  It’s going to be an amazing four days.  We even have t-shirts!

Topics such as flipping the classroom, Geogebra, standards based grading, interactive math notebooks (with foldables), real world math,  project work in math class, and Exeter problem sets are currently on the program.

As a middle school math teacher, I would love for more middle school math teachers to join us!  Email me if you have any questions!

What I Have Been Doing Instead Of Blogging This Winter

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Woodlawn MIddle School Cheerleaders Party Rock Routine

It’s been a blast and I love coaching these amazing girls!  Our season is over in two weeks though and I’m very anxious to have time to get back to blogging!