Annie Forest

via GIPHY I started teaching in 2004. That first year, I found a blank net of a "Kaleidocycle" online. Back then, there weren't as many online tutorials! In fact, this one didn't even come with any instructions. So, I sat down with a few copies and started cutting and gluing until I figured it out. I tried it with my 8th grade students and it was a hit! The next year I tried it again with more middle schoolers and, again, everyone loved it. I continued to use it as one of my go-to end-of-the-school-year lessons . So, in total, I believe I have taught over 1000 students how to make Kaleidocycles ! This copy of a copy is the only lesson that I have saved from that first year of teaching and that I have used consistently, every year, since I first started. It really does hold a special place in my teacher heart. So... how do you make it?! First, download the net . I suggest printing it on card stock. I made a little tutorial video to help you get started. ...

I think data is important. I even recently presented about " Data Driven Coachin g" at ISTE! I've been thinking a lot about how we use data to tell a story and the implications it has for teachers and our students. One thing that really gets me upset is when I see data being reported (usually visually) in misleading ways. Sometimes I think people just don't realize that they are creating something misleading, while other times things are done to intentionally exaggerate what is actually going on. This TED-Ed video explains this really well: So when I came across this tweet, I immediately looked at the y-axis. I noticed that the % was "zoomed in" making it look like engagement in high school was practically 0%, even though it was 44%. Now, 44% isn't great. And the overall trend of declining engagement is worrisome. But, the math teacher in me was just a little annoyed at the misleading graph. This is OUR problem. We must do something to combat...

I went to ISTE last week and I felt like I was cheating on my math friends. WHAT IS ISTE? First, ISTE stands for International Society for Technology in Education. They have a big annual conference every summer. This year it was in San Antonio and I was lucky enough to get to present and attend. If you have never heard of ISTE, you aren't alone. Despite the fact that this conference is HUGE, many educators don't even know it exists. (I didn't until a few years ago.) And I saw on Twitter a few math educator friends asking what #ISTE17 stood for because they were seeing it in their newsfeed. And, to make it even harder, I looked at ISTE's website and had to dig a bit to even find it all spelled out! So, why hadn't I heard of ISTE until recently? I've connected mostly with the math ed crowd on social media and engage with the fine folks in #MTBoS often. I just don't hear much about tech stuff as it relates to math... with the big exception being fo...