This PD Video Triggered Flashbacks of My Own PD Nightmares

This mind-numbing video of professional development from Chicago has been making the rounds recently, and for me it brought back a flood of memories of awful PD my colleagues and I endured. Usually the least effective workshops were created and run internally, but that didn't necessarily mean external "experts" were much better.

In this case, at least the expert is modeling the methods they're peddling (which would be fine if such methods were any good to begin with). I can remember several examples where new methods or technology were simply talked about, looked at and then we were left to find out how to apply them to our classrooms on our own. The resources from that kind of PD ended up stuffed into the back of a closet, never to be heard from again.

Unfortunately, this is an example of why teachers are so disengaged from PD. When I would seek out relevant PD on my own, I was usually told that I couldn't take any professional days for them. Then the days that were built into the schedule were full of drivel like this. I would laugh when an administrator would try to teach us to be more engaging and to use exciting new methods by lecturing to us off of a PowerPoint for half a day. The absurdity of it all!

Seek out your own PD and take the time you need to dive into it, if you can. If not, take advantage of what's increasingly available online (often for free) and find a way to fit it around whatever new acronym your school has chosen to follow this year. Your teaching will be better off because of it.

Weekend Reader on Video in the Classroom: March 2013

19 Videos That Make Learning Fun [Mental Floss] - Covering everything from women's suffrage to calculus.

Kids Will Create Masterpieces With the Tabletop Moviemaking Studio [Wired:GeekDad]

THNKR - CHANGE YOUR MIND [YouTube via Twitter] - Described as TED talks for high school and college students "but better".

Making Math Meaningful with Online Games and Videos [KQED/Mindshift]

8 Videos That Prove Math Is Awesome [Mashable!]

Weekend Reader on Using Video in the Classroom

Gube Curates Kid-Safe YouTube Videos for iOS [Lifehacker]

Five Reasons Why YouTube Rocks the Classroom [KQED Mind/Shift via Twitter]

Using Flip Videos in High School Math Class [Reflections of a High School Math Teacher]

45 Interesting Ways to use your Pocket Video Camera in the Classroom [via Twitter]

Five Alternative Devices to Replace the Now-Dead Flip Cam [via Twitter]

Keep Up With My Curated Lists of YouTube Videos for Math Class

Last semester I started seeking out videos to supplement my teaching.  There are hundreds, often thousands of videos explaining most major topics in math, but most of them simply won't work with my students.  Almost anything with a person in front of a whiteboard or even just problem sets worked out on the screen is unusable, and this unfortunately seems to be the majority of what's out there (at least on YouTube).

What I need are videos that are funny, memorable and engaging so that key topics stay in their brains.  Sometimes I just need a clip that reminds them why it's important to learn math.  The videos also need to be as short as possible, both to fit into the period and to keep my students' fleeting attention.

Here are the 2 lists I've started building:

Shown in Math Class
Suggested for Math Class

I've added comments where I thought they'd be helpful.  While I do teach Algebra 1 and Math Models, I think these will work in a variety of math classes.  I intend to add to each list regularly; please keep me accountable and call me out if I don't!

P.S. If you're skeptical about this, keep in mind that the majority of my students are ninth grade repeaters.  If these videos work for them, they will work for anybody.

Singing About Domain and Range (Again)

Today I'm performing the Domain & Range Song for my math models students:



I'll let you know how it goes this time around with my kids, but feel free to show it (or perform it) for your own.  In the meantime, read the original post on how and why to use ideas like this in your classes.

5 Edu Videos to Make You Think This Weekend

YouTube Video of the Day: Forget Inception, This Will Destroy Your Mind [Mashable] - Great introduction to a lesson about reflection in Geometry, or to show for fun!

High School Doesn't Have to Suck - Chris Lehmann [The Innovative Educator]

Watch this great Carpe Diem video [edReformer] - An amazing peek into one of the most innovative charter schools out there.

Students Turn Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" Into Calculus Mnemonic [GOOD]

Teaching 4th Graders Statistics with a Nintendo Wii [Wired:GeekDad]

Video: Put Down The Box!

Season 2, Episode 2:



Mr. D TV is my (allegedly) weekly teacher advice video series.  I cover just about any topic related to education and teaching.  If you have a question you'd like me to answer, email me (teachforever@gmail.com). If you like the video, check out the last episode and my YouTube channel for more.

Spend Black Friday Watching These Education Videos

Animated Short Sums Up America's Education Problem [GOOD] - Waiting For Superman as summarized by a Taiwanese news program in less than 2 minutes.

An Education Reform Success Story (Video) [edReformer]

Documentary: Fermat's Last Theorem [mental_floss Blog] - The story of the most puzzling math problem ever!

Your Broken Meetings Need a Responsible Parent [Lifehacker] - Make sure somebody is the "parent" in your meetings at work, whether it be you or someone else.

Video: Math Teacher Meltdown [This Week in Education] - In case you somehow missed it, this is what it looks like when a teacher loses it.  It's worth noting that this is what we all look like when we lose our temper, even when we don't completely lose our minds like this guy.

The Domain and Range Song World Premiere! [Video]

Season 2, Episode 1:


Here are the lyrics to the song:

THE DOMAIN AND RANGE SONG
To the tune of “Irreplaceable” by Beyonce

To the right, to the right
To the right, to the right
Everything in the domain from the left to the right

On the graph, domain’s the x
From least to greatest, and here's what's next
I'm talking about the range--that's the y
how far up and down the graph goes at the same time
Put those in order from least to greatest too
So you can answer the questions that I gave you

Sitting in Mr. D's class, thinking bout how he's such a fool,
How we'll never ever forget how to do
domain and range yeah

You must now know domain, you must now know the range
I can help you understand in a minute
Matter fact, you’ll pass the test in a minute, baby

You must now know domain, you must now know the range
I can help you understand for tomorrow
So don’t you ever for a second ever forget, domain and range!

So when you have a coordinate point
A pair of (x, y), just remember this
Baby the first number’s the domain,
The second number’s the range
Cause the truth of the matter is… domain and range are so is easy!

[Chorus]

Read about how I originally used this in class in Teaching Domain and Range (with a little help from Beyonce), and then read even more about it from my 2008 book, Ten Cheap Lessons: Easy, Engaging Ideas for Every Secondary Classroom.

Mr. D TV is my weekly teacher advice video series.  I cover just about any topic related to education and teaching.  If you have a question you'd like me to answer, email me (teachforever@gmail.com). If you like the video, check out last season's finale and my YouTube channel for more.

New Teacher Appreciation Song [Video]

As Brian Asselin, the creator of this told me via email: "I have been blessed in my life to have had so many teachers inspire me to be the best that I can be. A couple weeks ago I graduated from teachers college and I felt compelled to tell every teacher I come across "thank you" for making a difference."

We appreciate it, Brian.

Why You Must Document Your Classroom Before School Ends [Video]

Mr. D TV is my weekly teacher advice video series.  I cover just about any topic related to education and teaching.  If you have a question you'd like me to answer, email me (teachforever@gmail.com). If you like the video, check out last week's episode and my YouTube channel for more.

How to Keep Students Engaged After Testing is Over [Video]

Mr. D TV is my weekly video series where I give advice to teachers on just about any topic. If you have a question you'd like me to answer, email me (teachforever@gmail.com). If you like the video, check out my YouTube channel for more.

Math Teacher Fights His Own Shadow [Video]

Now this is how you use an LCD projector in the classroom:



Read more about this video on mental_floss.

Don't Take Yourself Too Seriously [Video]

Mr. D TV is my weekly video series where I give advice to teachers on just about any topic. If you have a question you'd like me to answer, email me (teachforever@gmail.com). If you like the video, check out last week's episode or my YouTube channel for more. See you next week!

Fractal Doritos, Math Interventions & Safe Surfing [Five for Friday]

Popling Takes Studying Out of Learning, Regularly Prompts You with Flash Cards [Lifehacker] - This free program makes your cards will pop up randomly while you're doing other things on your computer, making this a great new addition to my list of free flash card and study help applications.

To Blog or Not to Blog [The Innovative Educator] - Jacob Gutnicki makes the case for starting sooner rather than later.

Net Cetera: Chatting With Kids About Being Online - This free report from the Federal Trade Commission can help you start a conversation with your favorite young people about staying safe online.

Math Intervention Blog - This new blog is designed as a go-to resource for math teachers whose students are really struggling, offering new approaches and ideas for everything from lesson plans to assessments.  It's worth a look.

And finally, what happens when a high school math class takes over their football field and makes a gigantic fractal out of Doritos?  Sheer awesomeness:



Read more about the kids and their project here.

Spring Break's Over. Now What? [Video]

As mentioned in the video, here are some test-prep strategies I've used successfully in the past:

1. Test Prep Idea #1: Take-Home Test w/ Key
2. Test Prep Idea #2: Word Wall Review
3. Test Prep Idea #3: Calculator Tricks Every Student Should Know
4. Test Prep Idea #4: Tell Them How to Study
5. 3 Ideas to Prepare Students for College Placement Exams

Mr. D TV is my weekly video series where I give advice to teachers on just about any topic. If you have a question you'd like me to answer, email me (teachforever@gmail.com). If you like the video, check out last week's episode or my YouTube channel for more. See you next week!

Have Fun With Your Students By Telling Them Unbelievable Stories [Video]

If you're interested in getting a review copy of my upcoming book, Teaching is Not a Four Letter Word: How to Stop Worrying and Love the Job, email me at teachforever@gmail.com.

Mr. D TV is my weekly video series where I give advice to teachers on just about any topic. If you have a question you'd like me to answer, email me. If you like the video, check out the last week's episode or my YouTube channel for more. See you next week!

Where Should You Teach Next Year? [Video]

Here's the "Evolution of Mr. D" series I mentioned in the video.

Mr. D TV is my weekly video series where I give advice to teachers on just about any topic. If you have a question you'd like me to answer, email it to teachforever@gmail.com. If you like the video, check out the last week's episode or my YouTube channel for more. See you next week!

Take Notes Now to Become a Better Teacher Later [Video]

Mr. D TV is my weekly video series where I give advice to teachers on just about any topic. If you have a question you'd like me to discuss, email it to teachforever@gmail.com. If you like the video, check out the last week's episode or my YouTube channel for more. See you next week!

Cleverly Titled EducationalVideos.com Catalogs Just That

Last Friday, I had a great conversation with Jon Kolker, one of the developers behind Educational Videos, a new site designed to create a community for high-quality video content that lives up to its name. Inspired by well-established video hubs like Howcast, VideoJug and the ubiquitous YouTube, the site has a small but growing directory of handpicked videos on a variety of topics, embedded from external video sites like YouTube.

As it stands, I must stress that this is a very, very new directory with relatively few videos compared to similar resources.  The developers hope to grow their directory to about 10,000 embedded videos before allowing users to select and submit their videos. At that point, they envision a full slate of social networking features, such as user-created lists, bookmarking, recommendations, and so on. They're already working on two exciting projects: quizzes on the content of videos, and producing a video series in the vein of Bill Nye the Science Guy (an idea I hope takes off).

My first impression of the site was admittedly skeptical: it seemed that there was a focus on non-academic how to videos on topics like make-up application and playing Texas Hold 'Em. Kolker assured me that their goal is to have a more academic focus as their directory grows, along with the projects mentioned above.

As I told him, any site providing more resources for teachers and parents is worth checking out. Here's two interesting videos I found on Educational Videos:

• A Vision of Students Today
• The Photosynthesis Song! Learn How Plants Make Their Food