Question: How can geometry classes use the library?

[Liz Coman]

At the first meeting of the school year, I offered my services to collaborate with anyone on staff who might want to bring their students to the library for a subject-related lesson.  (I'm new to the library after 30 years as an English teacher, and I want to make it a meaningful place for all.)  The Geometry teacher has taken me up on the offer.  That's the good news.  The bad news is I have no idea what to do for her.  Her task to me was, "How could my Geometry students use the library?"  We are a small school with 12 computers, so they could partner up at the computers, or she could provide a paper/pencil lesson for half the students for half the class and then students switch.

 

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

Liz Coman

[Joshua Zucker]

How about books on engineering/design/architecture that will have geometric diagrams, things drawn to scale, and that sort of stuff? Similar figures (i.e. scale drawings) are great for geometry.

Books on perspective drawing?

Maps/atlases and discussion of the ways in which they are distorted to make them flat? Or again scale drawings. (The question of measuring distance using a world map can get very very complicated, though, because of those distortions!)

Or just some great geometry books, like _Geometry and the Visual Arts_ which comes really cheap from Dover press.

[Liz Coman]

Thanks, Joshua--I am going to definitely check out the book! I'll talk to the instructor to see if the maps/atlases ideas is something she can fit into the standards.

Liz

[Laura Kiedaisch]

http://www.geogebra.org/cms/

Is a source for free software and an accompanying curriculum for geometry. Plus, kids can also download it to their home computers.

Ditto with Google Sketchup- free student version, lots of curriculum, and can draw to scale, design in 3D, etc. They too have a great deal of support for educators on their forums.

Hope this helps-

[Steve Buser]

Check out WolframAlpha.com

It does a lot more than math -- check out the examples by topic (which are pretty much the same as school subjects)
try these in the search space
iodine 131
zip 77707
water triple point
Halley's comet
alpha centauri
AAGCTAGCTAGC
F_e_t
passing touchdowns New Orleans Saints, Minnesota Vikings --- (hey they play tonight in NewOrleans)
play 1.5kHz sawtooth

I think you get the idea by now.


Check this out especially
http://demonstrations.wolfram.com/ --help them download the free mathematica player and show them how they can visualize the equations they are studying using simple tools like a slider

Also check out http://mathworld.wolfram.com/

--steve buser

[Ryan Goble]

Steve, great idea - I read and article about Wolfram when it came out in Wired and, as I'm not inclined to this mode of thinking it was really hard for me to wrap my small brain around it. Do you know of any good "What is WA and How it Works" explanations you could use with students or just say people like me?

[Steve Buser]

http://www.wolframalpha.com/educators/
http://community.wolframalpha.com/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=1194 (how are you using WolframAlpha in your classroom)

http://www.wolfram.com/edu/ -- WA's educators portal on how to use WA in the classroom

http://sweeneymath.blogspot.com/2010/03/student-centered-learning-u...

http://wn.com/Wolfram|Alpha_Homework_Day_Using_Wolfram|Alpha_as_a_Tutoring_Tool


http://www.onlineuniversities-weblog.com/50226711/25-cutting-edge-w...

wolfram Alpha overview video
http://www.wolframalpha.com/screencast/introducingwolframalpha.html


By the way try these "searches" in WA
C minor scale
Lexapro
option
U.S. Trade deficit
depth of field --- I used this and changed the computation on the form to f16 with a 600mm lens and 200 feet of distance to find I had a 27 foot depth of field. I can imagine the Iphone WA app could get quite a following among photographers.

You may also have interest in WA gadgets for your website, blog etc.


By the way, just google WolframAlpha education or WolframAlpha classroom for a google of resources.



hope this helps

--steve buser

[Ryan Goble]

Steve - you the man! I'm ready to rumblie/Wolfram - I was looking initially JUST when the beta went public - thanks for the direction!

[Joanne Troutner]

Liz,

What about a scavenger hunt on the computers to find great images to illustrate the geometry concept being taught? Then the pairs or groups could create a quick PhotoStory or other digital image story to present the concept to younger students.

OR what about teaching real time searching to find current events related to geometry?

[Rachel Orr-Depner]

Liz,

I have found that using Google Earth and creating angles in and around their school/home is really engaging for the student.  Google Earth would be a great tool for Joanne's idea.  Below is a link to show how a teacher used Google Earth to teach about exterior angles of a polygon.  

 

http://www.sophia.org/packets/exterior-angles-of-a-concave-polygon

 

-Rachel Orr-Depner