The Internet Grapevine is still local!

Treat your colleagues as you want to be treated. Don't share information that might let others in your local area recognize them. Gather closely for I tell you a tale of poor choices, a tale of a young teacher whose pride overcame her ethics, a sad tale that must be told. I'm the online observer, and I share her tale.

It seems to me that many who use the internet still believe that they are anonymous....that's just not true. One of the teachers in my Professional Learning Network chose to share information about a colleague that was not appropriate, yet this teacher never did understand that sharing without permission is wrong. As far as I could tell, this teacher was spreading gossip.

In the fall of 2011, my Professinal Learning Network was discussing the merits of an individual teacher's form used to help guide student/teacher learning conferences for mathematics. The teacher who shared this form is highly regarded as a technology teacher in our group, yet readily admitted that math is not their strong suit. The negativism and bias of this teacher towards a local colleague seemed shocking to me. I think it may be difficult to trust someone who takes the work of others, downloads it online, and tears the content to pieces.

The teacher in our PLN decided that a colleague's conferencing sheet was not appropriate and shared a link for this conferencing sheet. The irony is that the teacher in our PLN had no problem stealing another teacher's work and sharing this information all over the internet. What was most amazing to me was the fact that they were colleagues in the same school.

Since I didn't know at first that the teacher in our PLN didn't have permission to share the conferencing sheet, I looked over the document. Other teachers also looked it over, since we all share information with everyone in our PLN. Those of us who like mathematics and teaching mathematics found the conferencing sheet to be appropriate tool for teacher use in monitoring student progress. We learned afterwards that the teacher who shared the document with us didn't have permission to do that. I was concerned and frustrated that someone in our Professional Learning Network would do that, yet there it was.

In my experience, teachers collaborate to make a good idea better, but that was impossible because the teachers' work had been displayed online without their permission. Most of those in our PLN believed that some simple changes to the conferencing sheet could help make this a helpful tool for the student. Others thought the form was not appropriate. I thought the form was a very useful teacher tool, yet it could be easily modified for effective student use.

I was shocked that our colleague would do this to a fellow teacher, especially as the teacher didn't know it was being shared among our online group. Without getting permission from the author, it would be unethical to show a copy of it online.

I think it would be a really great idea, if we could consider that the same ethics that guide us at school also guide us, as teachers, when we collaborate or teach online. Ask for permission before sharing a colleagues OFFLINE work. If the work is online and public, you must still attribute the work to the author. This would be a great lesson for all teachers to follow, so they can feel comfortable when teaching online ethics to their students. As the saying goes,

Don't tell me you will do the right thing, show me!

For Some, Understanding Math May Always Be Distant Target!

Crossroads by StuffEyeSee
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For some teachers, even some "good" teachers, understanding mathematics will always be a distant target within a warren of incomprehensible facts and rules. You've heard teachers make statements like: "I never liked Math!" "I just don't understand why this math skill has to be in the curriculum!" "Is this too advanced?".

In trying to understand those who teach mathematics, valid research is available that seeks to interpret elementary school teachers' math teaching success, especially as it relates to their attitudes and capabilities. Take your pick of any of this research on Teacher's Attitudes Towards Mathematics. The idea that many of our peers have a fear of math and lack the basic understanding of what they are trying to teach should not be a surprise.

Therefore, it is easy to understand that teachers who do like and understand mathematics and its place in the school curriculum make up the minority of teachers. Most likely, there will be a gulf between their ideas about teaching math and those of the teachers who are weak in math. Those who "get it" tend to be more organized in their approach to teaching the children, while those who don't get it tend to look for a fluffy way to teach something that is NOT ephemeral. Math has organization, boundaries, rules....

In the elementary school, teachers must understand that all this logic of math is based on the Real Number System. Although it's NOT ROCKET SCIENCE, it's NOT FLUFFY either.

In mathematics, we look for ways to talk about how to solve a problem, but we also MUST support a system of understanding for students. That's where the organization comes into play. The more the teacher understands and feels comfortable with the ideas and facts of math, the easier it is for students to do the same. Then this teacher will help the students, in a concrete way, develop a clear understanding of their strengths and weaknesses. This teacher will use any and all available data provided through testing in the class or the school to bring success in math to all students.

Math In All Its Forms: Diigo Webslides

Whenever you use the Diigo bookmarking web application, you may categorize your bookmarks in lists. Each list will contain all the bookmarks you put in that particular category, such as Math In All Its Forms. When you want to share the list with others, you have many choices, including webslides.

Webslides are screenshots of the front page of each webpage that you bookmarked within a particular list. This webslide presentation contains all the bookmarks for the list: Math In All Its Forms.

For those who cannot use Diigo on your network, you might consider Diigo for Educators. It's self-contained and has no advertisements. You may want to discuss this with the school's technology coordinator and gain access. Even if you can't access Diigo at school, you can use it for your own research and lesson preparation.

NRICH Your Student's Math Interactions

I have used and shared this website for several years now. Students and teachers can access a variety of math problems and activities that can enrich student's learning.

There are interactive aspects students access here, when they choose a background for their work at the NRICH website.

Try this website and sign up for their monthly newsletter.

clipped from nrich.maths.org Skip over navigation Search by Topic | Tech Help | Thesaurus The NRICH Project aims to enrich the mathematical experiences of all learners. To support this aim, members of the NRICH team work in a wide range of capacities, including providing professional development for teachers wishing to embed rich mathematical tasks into everyday classroom practice. More information on many of our other activities can be found here. thousands of our free mathematics enrichment materials (problems, articles and games) for teachers and learners from ages 5 to 19 years. All the resources are designed to develop subject knowledge, problem-solving and mathematical thinking skills. The website is updated with new material on the first day of every month. This month's mathematical theme continues to be Visualising: We use visualisation almost every time we engage in problem solving,

March Math Madness

Each year, Pi Day becomes more of an exciting learning opportunity for students, teachers and a growing number of the general public. The day can be a culminating experience or a jumping off spot for learning all the cool math surrounding Pi that is appropriate to your grade level. Next to the 100 Day (Zero to Hero) celebration, I think Pi Day is one of the most celebrated math days in schools.

If you participate in Pi Day, please share your links or descriptions of your celebrations...including pictures.

If you haven't started using Pi Day as a jumping off point for great learning and an opportunity for greater technology integration, you can start by reading Pi R Not Square, Pi R Round!. You will find a variety of ideas that can be implemented right away, as well as ways to make your celebration coordinate with others in your Professional Learning Network.

Momentous Monarch Migration

Monarch Migrations are momentous events, all in all, but when there are profoundly enormous groups of Monarch butterflies making landfall near human populations, it is news. These are rare events.


Many people frequently see small groups of 100 or less during the migration events, but very few people site large groups of Monarchs. These large Monarch groups are usually seen where special conditions of food, shelter, water, and weather come together to make an inviting stopover.

There are Monarch observers, in SE Kansas, who have hosted migration groups, numbering in the thousands on their land. The Monarchs usually roost in fields with flowers, cedar trees and ponds(streams or lakes),creating shelter. Having personally seen migration groups in the thousands at Wilson County State Lake,KS and at surrounding farms on different occasions over the past 20 years, I can vouch for these wondrous migrations.

Last week, Richard Hines, a Monarch Watch supporter, reported a Monarch migration cohort that will set records for many years. Richard enjoys the Monarch Migrations with his family. He recognizes the need for Monarch butterfly habitat, and he encourages these habitats by maintaining a Monarch Watch Waystation.

Mary Hines, a secondary Journalism, Yearbook and English teacher, takes excellent digital images, photographs, of the Monarchs and their migration. She was kind enough to share all the pictures used here.

A lucky farmer with 450 acres of blooming sunflowers in Southeast Kansas, near the Neosho River, west of Erie, KS, played host to what Dr. Chip Taylor, an entomology professor at the University of Kansas and the Director of Monarch Watch described as a rare event for this area.
Dr. Taylor enthusiastically reported this rare mass migration event to the folks at JourneyNorth,

Why So Rare?
Dr. Taylor explained: "The monarchs had been attracted to a sunflower field that was in full bloom....The 450 acre field had been planted late in the season, after the first crop was flooded out in early June. It is rare to have commercial sunflowers blooming this late in the season so the expectation of seeing such an aggregation at this time of year again is low."

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Estimating the total number in a Monarch roost is difficult, but considering the most conservative number of monarchs per square yard of the 450 acres of sunflowers and the bordering trees that were covering them, Dr. Taylor suspects the number could be 200,000 Monarchs.

I agree this is the conservative estimate considering that there is only one monarch per 10 square yards, in this estimate. The pictures taken at the rural Erie, KS site indicate that the roost size (monarch population in the field, trees, and other roosting areas) was closer to 1 Monarch butterfly per 1 square yard. You do the math! A number in the millions overwhelms the mind.

Taking the more conservative number of 200,000 Monarchs during this siting, the Erie, KS roost size is double the previous record-setting Monarch roost observation in SE Arkansas last year, in October of 2006.

It is important to note that the work of ordinary Canadians, Americans, and Mexicans, along with their scholars, teachers, nature lovers, and other leaders, makes it possible for the Monarch butterflies to continue to migrate. This dedicated community still travel to and from Mexico and Canada, through America each year.

Since various conditions impact the Monarch butterfly, these Monarch Watchers consider and work to minimize activities that often cause ecological crises in Mexico and the United States of America

In the past, some of these deforestations and habitat loss events have put the Monarch, as a species, at risk, but there are dedicated Monarch enthusiasts, including multitudes of students in the three countries, as well as the world, who help intervene to solve these ecological issues before they destroy the Monarchs. It is very awe-inspiring. You too can answer this call to action and enjoy the Monarch Migration.

Certificate to License

One thing I have always been known for is covering all my bases, I don't like surprises or life blips. Frequently, I am very happy that I am sometimes overtly conscientious in my work habits and my professional development practices. It is paying off now, as I recertify my teaching credentials.

In 2003, this state changed its laws covering the certification of teachers to teach. Now we become licensed instead of certified. It is probably more than a matter of semantics, but the result is the same. If you have a teacher's license, you can teach in this state. Since I am renewing my certificate, I will now receive a teacher's license.

To renew a teaching certificate in this state, you must have acquired some new knowledge or training in your field, this is also true in other fields such as nursing. There are two ways to document this training or learning in our teaching field, to say that we have received appropriate professional development to help us keep up-to-date in technology, pedagogy, or content knowledge.

The two ways to prove appropriate learning are through college course credits or professional development credits. College credits are pretty straightforward, you must take upper level or graduate classes that are related to your field of expertise or in teaching. The professional development credits are more precisely related to education and knowledge enrichment. These are received through very specialized training in your area of expertise, technology, or specific professional development needs required by the district where you teach. Often, the professional development credits are received through more rigorous, specialized education than you get in a college class.

Since I love to teach and learn, I really enjoy taking college classes and gaining professional development credits. Both require much effort and time to successfully complete, but I have always believed it is worth the effort. It always benefits my students and my work in the classroom. I believe that my mind must be pushed to achieve throughout my lifetime, so I can maintain an interest and excitement in my career.

I took 6 hours of graduate course work 2003, and I completed 255 hours of professional development credits in the urban school district where I taught within the time frame of 2002 to 2004. Every 20 hours of professional development is equal to 1 credit hour of college credit, so I completed the equivalent of 12.5 hours of college credit within a 2 year period. This included many Saturdays, summers, and after school sessions, spent learning and increasing my knowledge base in Technology, Science and Math, I loved every minute of it, and my students received the benefit right away.

With more than 3 times the number of official credits needed to recertify, I will be completing my licensure process tomorrow. I look forward to continuing work in my chosen career.