Digital+Media+as+a+Tool+for+Unlearning+Mathematical+Helplessness

Our students want quick problems that resolve easily with familiar formulas into simple answers. In subtle ways, in our teaching and our curriculum, we encourage this impatient problem solving. This leaves them poorly suited to solve the sprawling, ambiguous problems waiting for them in the world outside their classroom. We’re going to make some heroic efforts to fix this. We’re going to develop a framework for using digital media – photos and video – to turn our students into patient problem solvers. Along the way we’ll talk about a) how a single photo can compel an hour of linear equations, b) how a 10-second video clip can expand into an engaging lesson on projectile motion, and c) how a TV show can convincingly answer the question, “What is the point of graphing in two dimensions?” Participants will leave with a DVD stocked with high-resolution multimedia teaching materials, worksheets, and lesson plans.
 * Prerequisites**: (1) You like math. No one forced you into this job. (2) You use math. Math has made your personal life richer or more meaningful at some point in the last week.

**Presenter Bio: Dan Meyer, Santa Cruz, CA**
Dan Meyer has taught high school math since 2002. He is currently on loan from his school district to Google to develop math curriculum around the principles of computational thinking. In 2008, he was a Cable in the Classroom Leader in Learning for his work integrating digital video into the Algebra 1 curriculum. He lives and works in Santa Cruz, CA, and shares his insight on the [|Dy/Dan] blog.