Step Up for STEM

Since the 113^th Congress began its session in January, we have only heard of bickering over the federal budget with little attention to the nation’s other issues – including STEM education and finding ways to better incorporate technology into the classroom. But that isn’t to say there hasn’t been any groundwork on promising and interesting legislation being proposed in the committees. One bill of particular interest is H.R. 1089, the Stepping Up to STEM Act, introduced by Congressman Michael Honda.

The unique aspect of this bill is the development of a research agency called the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Education (ARPA-Ed). This agency would financially support breakthrough education technology that has promise to boost student achievement.

ARPA-Ed is based off of similar research agencies in both defense and energy that award grants to high-risk research projects that could potentially solve some of the country’s greatest problems. The idea is for the country to invest in high-risk projects that could return high rewards. The most infamous project to come out of the defense research agency is the internet – once considered an ill-conceived and risky project to connect the nation’s defense systems has now revolutionized the world in the way we connect, do business, and conduct day to day life.

Now its education’s turn to find technologies that can bolster student achievement and turn back the tide of this nation losing its competitive edge to other nations. ARPA-Ed has a long way to go before it can be implemented – committee hearings, debates, amendments, and going through the gauntlet of budget constraints. The likelihood of ARPA-Ed surviving the Congressional labyrinth is very slim – but what hopefully comes out of all the discussions is an understanding that archaic and technology-free classrooms only do an injustice to our students and a lackluster approach to STEM education will only result in declining US performance in the global economy.

Is there specific research you have heard about either at conventions, word of mouth, or read about that you hope receives the necessary funding to be implemented? Let us know about it and how you could see yourself using that in your classroom.

Introducing FastFig Premium

Hey there Fig Buddies,

Today, after many long months of work, we’re excited to announce the next level of FastFig. FastFig Premium brings the convenience and power of FastFig to your mobile devices, allowing you to type and solve math anywhere from a tablet or phone.

FastFig Premium is less than $6 per month for six months, and the first month is free. For new users, FastFig Premium also gives you unlimited FigPad storage and the ability to print and save pads as pdfs, as well as access to all the new and upcoming FastFig features as they are rolled out.

We really hope you’ll consider trying out the new FastFig Premium, even if it’s just to see how cool it is to use on your tablet or phone.

As always, if you’ve got any feedback for us on how to make FastFig more awesome, or ways we can help you teach and solve math better, we’d love to hear from you. Just drop us a line at feedback@fastfig.com, or tweet us at @FastFig.

Math Monday: Is Being Good at Math More Important Than Being Smart?

Greetings, Fig Friends, and welcome to the first of our recurring Math Monday blog posts. We'll use these monthly posts to note some fun news or ideas from the world of math and education, just in case you're not all as weirdly obsessed with math news as we are.

• A study of community college students found that inadequate math education in high school has resulted in a whole bunch of students in math classes they don't really understand. The study goes on to say that this is bad.

"We're not saying to lower math standards, but we ought to require math that is appropriate for the direction students want to go in," said Marc Tucker, president of NCEE, a nonpartisan education think tank funded by private donations and government grants. "Otherwise, we produce failure where no failure is necessary." 

(Ed. note: FastFig is against unnecessary failure. We're all about necessary failure, though.)

Researchers recommend that high schools ensure that all students master a basic algebra course and then offer options that suit other professions, such as statistics or geometry, rather than the "one-size-fits-all" thinking behind the math curriculum that most schools require of graduates...

Pam Guenther, who teaches algebra at Santa Barbara City College in California, has "mixed feelings" about recommended changes to math curriculum. "I like the idea that we teach what is necessary," she said. "But at 16 or 17, do you really know what you want to be when you grow up?"

• From the "do math skills really matter?" department: A study in the UK found that math and reading skills as a child (age 7) is a better predictor of success later in life than almost anything else, including socioeconomic status and intelligence.

Ritchie and Bates found that participants' reading and math ability at age 7 were linked to their social class a full 35 years later. Participants who had higher reading and math skills as children ended up having higher incomes, better housing, and better jobs in adulthood. The data suggest, for example, that going up one reading level at age 7 was associated with a £5,000, or roughly $7,750, increase in income at age 42. 

The long-term associations held even after the researchers took other common factors into account. 

"These findings imply that basic childhood skills, independent of how smart you are, how long you stay in school, or the social class you started off in, will be important throughout your life."

Kenneth Appel: Brought math to the computer

•  Lastly, we'd like to note the passing of Kenneth Appel. Appel and his colleague Wolfgang Haken proved the Four-Colour Theorem at UIC in 1976, which was rad, but what was more important was that he did it with a computer. Solving a century-old theorem with a computer was a major change for the way mathematicians interacted with technology, and absolutely changed the way computers were viewed. As people who are redefining by the ways one can use computers to help with math, we view Appel as a sort of patron saint of FastFig.

In your multimedia section:

If you haven't yet checked out our little appearance on Lehigh Valley Tech Radio, it's entertaining and includes an entrepreneurship game you can play along at home.

Here's a video, courtesy of the University of Rochester, of baboons understanding quantity:

And, not really related to math but still cool, here's a video of the first music video from space, as social media star astronaut Chris Hadfield records David Bowie's "Space Oddity":

You're welcome. Happy Monday!

The Online Classroom – Boon or Bane to a Teacher’s Existence?

I was speaking with a teacher friend of mine the other day about his normal day at school. He confirmed the assumption I have always held that a New York minute cannot hold a candle to a teacher’s time. I was exhausted after hearing about his normal day of juggling faculty meetings, team collaboration discussions, grading papers, preparing lesson plans, answering questions from students outside of class, copying handouts, parent-teacher discussions, teaching multiple subjects, and after school activities.   

He mentioned the online resources his school uses, which has a student population that is predominately in middle to upper middle class, that let him post assignments, calendars, grades, handouts, and other tools online. He made note how the system has alleviated his time in some regards but created more work in others – easier communication with parents, one more thing to maintain in the classroom, and a greater demand of students wanting instant feedback on grades.

I remember using such a system in undergraduate school because it allowed my professors to post extra examples online that were not discussed in class or textbooks, let me print out the homework assignments and handouts without being fearful of losing them, and kept me better in tune with what was going on in the classroom.  And I do remember refreshing the page constantly waiting for my grades to be posted – exacerbating the instant feedback frenzy.

But this led me to think about the schools that have student populations with far lower household incomes. I can see how my friend’s school could easily use this technology since it is safe to assume the students and parents easily have access to the internet and computers at home. This isn’t necessarily the case for our poorer school districts. So are there any teachers out there who work in low-income districts that use this technology and have found creative solutions to overcome the lack of internet access at home for students? What was the justification to fund such technology in these districts?

And for every teacher who uses this technology, how has it helped you in your classroom? Do you wish these services would improve in certain areas? And are there unintended consequences from using such technology that have in some ways made your job a little harder?

Young Scientists Invade White House

This past Monday, President Obama hosted for the third time the White House Science Fair. Students from all across the country had the opportunity to show off their research to the president, along with members of Congress and several key science advisers to the president.

And these were not your run-of-the-mill science fair projects either. Students showcased projects that dealt with providing clean water to millions of people, cheaper methods for building prosthetic limbs, and using 3-D printing to design better wind turbines. These young scientists and innovators deserve nothing but the best reception and recognition for their grit and determination.

But in schools all across the country, science teachers reviewed log books, coached students on their science projects, helped form hypotheses, and saw students go through the frustration and exhilaration of performing experiments. A vast majority of students don't receive any recognition for their work other than a slap on the back and a grade for the report card.

So it would be interesting to hear those stories of student growth and teacher intrigue that fly just under the radar. Were there some science projects this year that absolutely “wowed” you as a teacher? What excites you most about going through all the work that is involved in coaching students through science project season? Were there new technologies you were introduced to by students? And are there technologies you see as beneficial to the process but are kept back from either because of budget constraints, old stick-in-the-mud department heads, or other such obstacles?

Fast Fig Blog would love to hear your thoughts about science fair projects and ways to make the process more beneficial to both teachers and students.