Documentary: American Teacher

New Film Rebuts Vilification of Underpaid, Dedicated Public School Teachers

Opening today, the new documentary "American Teacher" follows the lives of four teachers who struggle to remain in a profession they love, despite the heavy toll exacted on their lives by the grueling hours and low-salaries. The documentary is a rebuttal of sorts to pundits who portray public school educators as cushioned recipients of tax-payer supported benefits, extended summer vacations and low accountability. We speak with the film’s Academy Award-winning director, Vanessa Roth, and with Brooklyn first-grade public school teacher, Jamie Fidler, who is featured in the film. 


"American Teacher" Film








http://www.democracynow.org/2011/9/30/american_teacher_new_film_rebuts_vilification



As the debate over the state of America's public school system rages on, one thing everyone agrees on is the need for great teachers. Yet, while research proves that teachers are the most important school factor in a child's future success, America's teachers are so woefully underpaid that almost a third must divide their time between a second job in order to make a living. Chronicling the stories of four teachers in different areas of the country, American Teacher reveals the frustrating realities of today's educators, the difficulty of attracting talented new teachers, and why so many of our best teachers feel forced to leave the profession altogether. But this wake-up call to our system's failings also looks at possibilities for reform. Can we re-value teaching in the United States and turn it into a prestigious, financially attractive and competitive profession? With almost half of American teachers leaving the field in the next five years, now is the time to find out.

Friedman number

A Friedman number is an integer which, in a given base, is the result of an expression using all its own digits in combination with any of the four basic arithmetic operators (+, −, ×, ÷) and sometimes exponentiation. For example, 347 is a Friedman number since 347 = 7^3 + 4.

The first few base 10 Friedman numbers are:
25, 121, 125, 126, 127, 128, 153, 216, 289, 343, 347, 625, 688, 736, 1022, 1024, 1206, 1255, 1260, 1285, 1296, 1395, 1435, 1503, 1530, 1792, 1827, 2048, 2187, 2349, 2500, 2501, 2502, 2503, 2504, 2505, 2506, 2507, 2508, 2509, 2592, 2737, 2916, 3125, 3159 (sequence http://oeis.org/A036057 )

A nice Friedman number is a Friedman number where the digits in the expression can be arranged to be in the same order as in the number itself. For example, we can arrange 127 = 2^7 − 1 as 127 = −1 + 2^7.

The first nice Friedman numbers are:
127, 343, 736, 1285, 2187, 2502, 2592, 2737, 3125, 3685, 3864, 3972, 4096, 6455, 11264, 11664, 12850, 13825, 14641, 15552, 15585, 15612, 15613, 15617, 15618, 15621, 15622, 15623, 15624, 15626, 15632, 15633, 15642, 15645, 15655, 15656, 15662, 15667, 15688, 16377, 16384, 16447, 16875, 17536, 18432, 19453, 19683, 19739 http://oeis.org/A080035

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedman_number


Determine why each of these is a Friedman number. You might also have fun confirming that 123456789 and 987654321 are Friedman numbers. Find some more Friedman numbers. What else can you show about Friedman numbers? If F(n) is the number of Friedman numbers less than n, can you show F(n)/n --> 1? or even disprove F(n)/n --> 0?


http://www2.stetson.edu/~efriedma/mathmagic/0800.html

100255 – Friedman number
103823 – nice Friedman number

Hunkin's Experiments

http://www.hunkinsexperiments.com/default.htm

Num3er puzzle #5: Magic square

1     9     2
3     8     4
5     7     6

where the First Row + Second Row = Third Row

Find other possible arrangements.

Num3er puzzle #4: Concatenation

Definition:
Concatenation is the joining of two numbers by their numerals. That is, the concatenation of 123 and 456 is 123456.

Concatenation of numbers A and B is denoted A||B.

Puzzle:

Find a perfect square of 12 digits formed from the concatenation of two perfect squares, one having 4 digits and the other 8 digits. None of the three perfect squares can begin with a zero.

A is a 4-digit number, B an 8-digit number making C a 12-digit number, all in base 10.

Num3er puzzle #3: Curious 48

Add 1 to 48 you get...

48 + 1 = 49 = 7 * 7 = 7^2 (a square)

and if you add 1 to its half, you also get a square number

24 + 1 = 25 = 5 * 5 = 5^2

Could you find other numbers sharing this property?

In other words, find x such that x + 1 and (x / 2) + 1 are squares

Num3er puzzle #2: A 6-digit number

Find a 6-digit number (consisting of 6 different digits) when multiplied by 2,3,4,5 and 6 gives in all cases a new 6-digit, which, in all cases, is a permutation of the original 6 different digits.

Number Puzzle #1: Fido

http://www.digicc.com/fido/

For kids: Xtramath

XtraMath is a free web program that teaches addition, subtraction, multiplication and division facts which are critical to success in mathematics.


https://www.xtramath.org/home

1) XtraMath Overview

XtraMath Overview from XtraMath on Vimeo.

2) XtraMath Student Introduction

XtraMath Student Introduction from XtraMath on Vimeo.

3) Getting Started with XtraMath -- for Teachers

Getting Started with XtraMath -- for Teachers from XtraMath on Vimeo.

4) Getting Started with XtraMath -- for Parents

Getting Started with XtraMath -- for Parents from XtraMath on Vimeo.

5) XtraMath in the Classroom


XtraMath in the Classroom from XtraMath on Vimeo.

6) About the XtraMath Student Activities
About the XtraMath Student Activities from XtraMath on Vimeo.


7) About the XtraMath Progress Reports


About the XtraMath Progress Reports from XtraMath on Vimeo.


8) Setting up your class in XtraMath


Setting up your class in XtraMath from XtraMath on Vimeo.

9) Enroll with an XtraMath flyer

Enroll with an XtraMath flyer from XtraMath on Vimeo.

10) Signing up for XtraMath as a parent

Signing up for XtraMath as a parent from XtraMath on Vimeo.

11) Signing in to XtraMath

Signing in to XtraMath from XtraMath on Vimeo.

12) Signing up for XtraMath as a teacher

Signing up for XtraMath as a teacher from XtraMath on Vimeo.

13) XtraMath Classroom Setup

XtraMath Classroom Setup from XtraMath on Vimeo.

Measuring distances with the Google Earth Ruler

The "ruler" tool in Google Earth has always been useful, and it has seen a number of improvements over the years. To get started with it, simply go to [Tools] --> [Ruler] in Google Earth and it'll open up for you in a small window.

Here are a few things you can do with it:

How far is it? D.Lee Beard shows how Google Earth can measure the distance between two objects and a distance with multiple turning points such as a walking or jogging route. Just how far do you walk? Watch and find out.