Microsoft Mathematics 4.0 - A Scientific Calculator

Microsoft Mathematics 4.0 - A Scientific Calculator

OK, this is just a “pass it along” post.  I just read a blog from Mr. Byrne at Free Technology for Teachers about a free calculator program offered by Microsoft.  I downloaded and installed the 64bit version and fired it up and…..

WOW!

This thing is amazing!  It does 2D and 3D graphing, derivatives and integrals, matrices and vectors, unit conversion, triangle solver and it even recognizes handwriting! Oh and it can add and subtract too!

What is really awesome about this program is its ability to show solution steps… yes I said it, solutions to problems are given!  I tried to solve basic algebra equations, derivatives, integrals and even using my own variables… all the solutions were correct and shown in an easy step by step manner.

Click on the pic to the left to see a screen shot of a solution to a basic algebra equation.

This would be extremely helpful for those students who need some extra help in learning how to solve equations.   This program even has an equation solver with equations form Physics, Chemistry, Exponents, Geometry and others!!  You just choose an equation, substitute in the known values and click solve!!

As Mr. Byrne stated, if you are 1:1 and don’t have the funds for TI-83’s or TI-84’s, this little program can easily replace them for……… FREE!

So go get Microsoft Mathematics 4.o – A Scientific Calculator, install and be amazed!!!

NOTE:  There is a math plugin for Word and ONE Note, though not as cool as MM4, it is very useful.  Here is the link:

Microsoft Mathematics Add-In for Word and OneNote

My Saga with SMART Notebook Document Writer

I am a huge fan of the SMART Notebook software from SMARTtech.  The software will work with any interactive whiteboard and it is very user friendly.  I have been using the software in my classroom for 3 years now and love it.  One of the “coolest” things you can do with this software is “print” anything you want to SMART Notebook.  Let’s say you have a PDF document that has a great picture of the human brain and you would love to be able to project it so all your students can see it and mark it all up using SMART Notebook.  No problem!  Go to “File – Print” and rather than printing to a “normal” printer, change the printer to “SMART Notebook Document Writer” and click print!  In moments, your PDF is magically “printed” to a new notebook!!  This will work with any program that you can print from.  Just change the printer to “SMART Notebook Document Writer” and watch the magic happen!!

I use this feature a lot!  Then, one day not to long ago…. tragedy happened.  When I would try to print to SMART Notebook, what I ended up with was a mess!  It appeared like the font was all wrong!  Look at the pics below:

The original PDF document:

What I got when I printed it to SMART Notebook:

As you can see it is not pretty.  After a few emails and a LOT of searching for a solution I almost gave up!  I thought to my self, “It worked before!?!?  Why does it not work now?!?!  What is different with my computer from August 2010 to December 2010?!?” I tried everything SMARTtech wanted me to do (make sure everything is up-to-date, remove and reinstall, try it on another computer, blah, blah, blah……) Then, late at night, it hits me…. What if it is not a SMARTtech problem but an Adobe problem? I have always used either Adobe Reader of Adobe Acrobat Pro to view PDFs, what if that was the issue? 

It was then that I remembered I had a PDF viewer on my PortableAPPs enabled USB drive.  I fired it up, loaded a PDF, printed to SMART Notebook, and crossed my fingers, toes and arms even though I really thought it wasn’t going to work.  And wouldn’t you know it? It worked perfectly!!!   Happiness and jubilations ran through me!!!  I knew I had to pass this on to other teachers, so I decided to find the PDF viewer I used.  It is called SumatraPDF .  I went to the website, found the download, installed it on my computer, and tried to print to SMART Notebook again.  Hitting the print button with complete confidence I was slapped in the face when it did not work!!  I got the same messed up font again!!?!  How is this?  It worked just minutes ago…. what is going on?!?!  After a brief “spaz out” moment (and a few words, because hey, it is getting late and I am tired) I took a closer look.  The version I downloaded was Version 1.2 and looking at my portable apps version it is Version 1.1!  OK, we are on to something here!!!

Back to the website, I found a link to download previous versions.  Clicked and “looky there”, Version 1.1!!  Downloaded it, installed it, fired it up, loaded the same PDF, print to SMART Notebook, and…….. Success and jubilations once again!!  It worked!!!

So, the only thing I can think might be happening is the PDF specification has “changed” and SMART Notebook has not “updated” it’s drivers. (NOTE: this is only my OPINION and in no way should this be taken as a derogatory remark about SMARTtech.  They are an awesome company and have high quality products and excellent customer service.)

In summary: if you are having problems using the SMART Notebook Document Writer follow the link below to get Version 1.1 of SumatraPDF and try it.  Hopefully it will work for you!

Sumatra PDF Version 1.1

Education Week Teacher: Teacher Effectiveness: More Than a Number

Education Week Teacher: Teacher Effectiveness: More Than a Number:

Cindi Rigsbee has written an excellent article about teacher effectiveness and how it should be more than just a test score.

I especially like her comment of:

"Let me begin by saying that although I understand this movement, I would like to share the joy and see it spread to other professions. I can’t say that recently I’ve heard anyone muse over the 'effective doctor' or 'effective lawyer' or 'effective plumber.' Yet again, teachers are swimming for their lives down in the petri dishes of society with all the world peering into microscopes at our work."

Wouldn't that be nice?! To see doctors and lawyers evaluated by a score based on how well their clients do on a test?

She writes about 4 things an effective teacher embodies: an effective teacher is committed, effective teachers make relationships a priority, effective teachers demonstrate their passion for learning and effective teachers are always reinventing themselves.

The article brings up a lot of good points and is a quick read. Maybe all those people who think teachers should be evaluated by a number on a test should read this article?

Tech Learning TL Advisor Blog and Ed Tech Ticker Blogs from TL Blog Staff – TechLearning.com

Tech Learning TL Advisor Blog and Ed Tech Ticker Blogs from TL Blog Staff – TechLearning.com:

As quoted by the author, "I’m often asked by educators why I use wikis, blogs, AND Google docs. “Why not just pick one?”. The answer is because I use each in different ways. Each of these platforms can be used for numerous purposes. Here is how I use them."

I too am often asked why do I use all three. This authors post does an excellent job of offering reasons to use each one and they have also included several links to examples.

If you want a "60 second" answer to the question why use all three, read the article! It will be a well invested 60 seconds.

5 Classroom Uses for Podcasts PLUS Real Life Examples – SimpleK12

5 Classroom Uses for Podcasts PLUS Real Life Examples – SimpleK12:

A quote from the site: "Not only is podcasting fun, it is an extremely valuable educational tool that has endless possibilities to share learning materials with a vast audience!"

Pod casting is very easy to do, once you do your first one. All you need is some type of recording device (your computer, an iPod, your cell phone) , something to record (your class, how to solve a math problem, directions for an assignment) and a place to host your files!

About.com has a tutorial that is pretty good. It can be found by clicking here.

The Battle for the Interactive White Board: The Kids Surrender

Daniel Reza from his blog from Tech Learning, opens with the statement of “Interactive White Boards are here, whether we like them or not.” He then goes on to say how “teachers aren't going to give these things up and let the kids use them. Ever.”

I fought to get IWBs (Interactive White Boards) in out school and was finally rewarded with an InterWrite board from eInstruction.  I was in heaven!  As a physics teacher I could draw vectors in different colors and move them around.  I could use interactive websites with my class.  But I am not one of the teachers that Mr. Reza refers to.  I handed the pen to a student the first day my board was installed.  I have students come to the board all the time to solve problems, draw diagrams, interact with flash activities and many other things.  The students enjoy it and it gets them involved.

Although I am a huge proponent of IWBs, I have had the fortunate experience of using a wireless tablet. I cannot stress how much I wish I had started with a wireless tablet before an IWB because if so, I would not want the IWB!  The wirless tablet lets me move about the room AND still do everything I could do with an IWB.  Both eInstruction and SMART tech have their own wireless tablets (Link to eInstructions tablets and SMART tech’s tablets). 

There are two other huge benefits to wireless tablets. The first is you don’t need to have any equipment permanently installed.  Boards need to be mounted to a wall with projectors mounted to the ceiling.  (Yes, I know, Prmothean boards are one unit with board and projector together, but you are still stuck with the size of board and calibration issues.) This allows the wireless tablet to be used with any projector in any situation.  The other benefit, and this is a big one, wireless tablets cost about 10% of an IWB!!  You still need a projector, but installation of an IWB will run around $4000, a wireless slate from SMART tech, $400.  Do the math.  You could have 10 teachers using a wireless slate for the cost of one IWB!!

Any way, back to Mr. Raza’s article.  He gives several links to demonstrate how to make IWBs more interactive with students, and if you have one, you should read his article.

Dealing with WIKIs

Wikis are a wonderful tool.  They allow for collaboration and the sharing of knowledge.  They can be used like websites to pass on information and share documents or they can be used like electronic portfolios or they can be used just like Wikipedia (which of course is a Wiki). The problem is when do you use them?  And how to use them?

From an article found in the August 2010 edition of “Tech Learning”, Ellen Ullman writes:

“Middle and high school teachers use them for group projects. A math teacher who solves problems with the screen capturing tool Jing (jingproject.com) embeds his work into his wiki for continuous review. Third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade teachers use wikis to create centers that include directions for assignments and student work.” (Link to article)

I personally can only answer the questions above by simply saying, try it.  If it works great!  If not, adjust!

The two Wikis out there that are used in the classroom the most are Wikispaces and PBWorks. They both have their strengths and weaknesses.  I personally find Wikispaces very easy to use and it is the one I prefer.

Give Wikis a try… you will find your students will get involved and possibly even find creating a wiki fun!