December 2020
Wednesday, December 9th, 3:30-4:30 p.m.
This month, we'll be taking a closer look at how we can use Desmos for assessment. We'll explore the teacher dashboard side of Desmos to see all of the ways we can use these activities to provide feedback, encourage discussion, and assess understanding, whether in-person or at a distance.
Thank you to everyone who attended last month's OKMath Meet Up! If you didn't get a chance to attend last month's OKMath Meet Up, the recording is available on the OSDE YouTube Channel and slides are available here. Last month, we focused on using Desmos in a cycle of learning and included directions for how to:
- Set up Desmos classes (compatible with Google Classroom or stand-alone links for your students and/or a different Learning Management System)
- Find Desmos activities
- Assign Desmos activities (into a class or as a stand-alone activity)
Register for this month's OKMath Meet Up on Zoom to receive a link to join.
 Tuesday, December 8th, 6:00-7:15 p.m.
Join the Southeast Oklahoma Math Teachers' Circle (SEOKMTC) virtually on Tuesday, December 8th, for a Math Teachers' Circle event, facilitated by Dr. James Tanton of the Global Math Project.
If you aren't familiar with James Tanton and the Global Math Project, then SEOKMTC guarantees you will be a fan after this month's meeting. Dr. Tanton invites you to see arithmetic in a way you've never seen it before with Exploding Dots. The "Exploding Dots" concept is something every teacher, kindergarten through college level, will find mesmerizing.
As well as being an ambassador for the Mathematical Association of America with close ties to Math Teachers' Circles, Dr. Tanton has published many books, as well as YouTube videos, to ramp up the excitement he wants to generate when it comes to math.
This meeting will feature breakout rooms for small group collaboration and an opportunity to make new friends while earning 1.25 hours of professional development. At the end of the meeting, there will be a drawing for Zoom door prizes.
We all need a break to do something we love, and this is your invitation. Get on your comfy clothes, grab a phone or a computer, and join this SEOKMTC meeting!
This event is limited to 60 participants; register on Eventbrite to hold your spot.
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The Office of Assessment recognizes that schools are facing immediate and pressing challenges due to the Covid-19 Pandemic and that circumstances are rapidly changing. As a result, they are diligently planning for every possibility as Oklahoma approaches the latter half of the school year.
The OSDE places great value on the information that is gained from the state summative assessments because of its ability to inform student progress on grade-level standards. Furthermore, it is federally required to administer the state summative assessments. This year, more than ever, districts and families need to know where both students’ academic bright spots and gaps exist.
In response to district feedback, the OSDE has worked with its vendors to provide greater administration flexibility to schools and districts.
On November 12, 2020, the State Board of Education approved a revised, extended, Oklahoma School Testing Program calendar for the 2020-2021 school year, which can be found here. Districts and schools are not required to use the entire testing window, but can schedule dates as appropriate in order to administer the assessment in the safest way possible.
Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching (PAEMST)
Give the gift of PAEMST this holiday season, and nominate a 7-12 grade math, science, or computer science teacher for the award today! The Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching is the top honor for math, science, and computer science teachers in the nation. National awardees receive $10,000 and a trip to Washington, D.C.
If you are a 7-12 grade math, science, or computer science teacher who has been teaching at least 5 years, you can start your application right now at paemst.org.
Anyone can nominate a 7-12 grade teacher at paemst.org; you only need the person's name and email address to nominate them (it takes about 5 minutes).
Nominations due March 1st, 2021.
Send a message of support and encouragement to a fellow teacher; nominate someone today!
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Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM)
The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM) recognize those who have made significant contributions to mentoring and thereby support the future productivity of the U.S. science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, (STEM) workforce.
The program was created to identify and recognize individuals and organizations that have contributed outstanding efforts in mentoring and have enhanced the participation of individuals who might not otherwise have considered or had access to opportunities in STEM disciplines and professions. Each Presidential Awardee receives a certificate signed by the President of the United States and a $10,000 award from NSF. Awardees are honored at an award ceremony which takes place in Washington, D.C.
Nominations due December 18th, 2020.
Help recognize the outstanding mentors and organizations in Oklahoma making a difference in the OKSTEM Community; nominate an individual or organization today.
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 Mathematics and Computer Science have a lot of similarities. Learn more about the world of computer science during Computer Science Education Week, December 7th-13th. Below are some free opportunities to learn more and engage in activities!
Hour of Code
The Hour of Code is a global movement introducing tens of millions of students worldwide to computer science, inspiring kids to learn more, breaking stereotypes, and leaving them feeling empowered. The Hour of Code began as a one-hour coding challenge to give students a fun first introduction to computer science and has become a global learning event, celebration, and awareness event.
HourOfCode.com offers hundreds of one-hour activities in over 48 languages for kindergarten and up. Activities require no experience and can be run on browsers, tablets, and smartphones - some don’t require any computer at all.
Below are two Oklahoma options for Hour of Code:
Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) and Computer Science Teachers Association-Oklahoma Chapter (CSTA-OK) Hour of Code
Tuesday, December 8th, 7:00-8:00 p.m.
The OSDE/CSTA-OK Hour of Code will be held December 8th from 7:00-8:00 p.m. Join other Oklahoma educators for a relaxing Hour of Code-- perfect for beginners or advanced coders!
Register on Zoom to receive a link to join.
OK, Let's Code!
Thursday, December 10th, 10:00-11:00 a.m.
Join Oklahoma Public School Resource Center (OPSRC) and participate in an Hour of Code. Governor Kevin Stitt will join the event as OPSRC kicks off an Hour of Code in schools across the state.
Register on the Eventbrite website.
Additional Computer Science Education Week Event: Data Visualization/Statistics for High School Students and Educators
In this 1-hour session, you’ll explore how to gather, visualize, and extract information from data by using Python (coding language) libraries.
Ultimately you’ll create a final visualization product that will help tell a compelling story. Along the way, you’ll also explore the basic concepts of statistics.
Dates (Choose one):
- December 7th, 4:00 p.m.
- December 8th, 12:00 p.m.
- December 9th, 4:00 p.m.
- December 10th, 12:00 p.m.
- December 11th, 4:00 p.m.
Register on Zoom to receive a link to join.
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Ongoing Computer Science/Math Integration Project:
Bootstrap Computer Science/Algebra Initiative
The Oklahoma State Department of Education has partnered with Bootstrap, a project based at Brown University. Bootstrap offers research-based curricular modules for grades 6-12. Their materials reinforce core concepts in math, enabling non-CS teachers to adopt their materials while delivering rigorous and engaging computing content.
Bootstrap is one of the largest providers of formal CS education to girls and underrepresented students nationwide: nearly 50% of their students are African-American or Latin(x), and nearly 45% are girls and young women.
Bootstrap has been providing training to Oklahoma teachers and has been adapting and aligning their curriculum to Oklahoma Academic Standards for Mathematics and Computer Science. Many of these lessons are currently included in the OKMath Framework Grade-Level Suggested Learning Progressions and are available on an exclusive-to-Oklahoma Bootstrap website.
Are you interested in bringing Computer Science to your math classroom? Complete this interest form to be among the first notified of future training dates.
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To increase awareness of women’s ongoing contributions to the mathematical sciences, the Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM) and Math for America co-sponsor an essay contest for biographies of contemporary women mathematicians and statisticians in academic, industrial, and government careers. The essays will be based primarily on an interview with a woman currently working in a mathematical sciences career. Participation is open to middle school, high school, and undergraduate students.
A valid submission will contain the following information:
- A biographical essay of approximately 500 – 1000 words in length, based primarily on an interview the student contestant conducts with a woman currently working in or retired from a mathematical career;
- A short (approximately 100 words) biographical sketch of the student contestant. This biographical sketch can be written in the first person, and it should include the student’s name, grade level, school, and mathematical interests;
- Information about the student:
- student’s name;
- address of student (or parent);
- phone number or email address of student (or parent);
- Information about the subject of the biography:
- name;
- address;
- phone number and/or email address.
Submissions are due February 1st! All information must be submitted using the online submission form. Click on “Apply” and you will then be asked to create an account login. Once your login is created, please continue the submission process by answering the questions and submitting the requested documents. If you have any problems submitting your essay, please contact AWM Essay Contest Organizer, Dr. Johanna Franklin (johanna.n.franklin@hofstra.edu).
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The New York Times is working with Verizon to provide high school students and teachers with a free digital subscription through September 1, 2021 — helping them stay connected to the world, even as it continues to change.
What’s included:
- Unlimited access to articles, videos and more on nytimes.com and in the New York Times app.
- Lessons from The Learning Network featuring articles, photos, podcasts and more.
Teachers and administrators can invite students to subscribe. All you need is a consolidated list of your students’ emails.
Learn more on The New York Times frequently asked questions webpage.
Invite your students to access The New York Times.
Math Feature of the New York Times: "What's Going on in This Graph?"
Each week, the New York Times releases an article called "What's Going on in This Graph?" Each article features a different graph with real-world data that invites students to notice, wonder, and analyze. Limited access to these articles is available without a subscription, but by subscribing, you will receive unlimited access to each article.
I featured a graph from this series in my 2019 EngageOK Presentation, Encouraging Student Discussion and Struggle in the Secondary Math Classroom (the instructional routine featured is one I used in my math classroom). Email your ideas for using these graphs to christine.koerner@sde.ok.gov.
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 Mathigon hosts a free puzzle calendar on their website every December! Students of all ages can access the puzzle at the beginning of each day for the entire month. Check out last year's puzzles in Mathigon's archives. Email student work to christine.koerner@sde.ok.gov for a chance to be featured in next month's newsletter!
Each school will approach holidays and celebrations differently based on the community it serves. An article by Alex Shevrin Venet highlights some guiding questions to help schools approach the holidays in an equitable and culturally responsive way.
Questions to ask ourselves (these and additional reflection questions are included in the article):
- Which holidays, celebrations and other times are important to our students, our families, our staff and our community? Have we asked this recently?
- How do we balance honoring and celebrating students/families/teachers and their cultural and religious values with a commitment to inclusion for all and not preferring one culture over another?
- How often are we disrupting our school’s routine in order to celebrate or acknowledge holidays? Why? Is the disruption in routine worth the benefit? Is there a benefit?
- How are we incorporating holidays into classes? Are we incorporating this in an educational and culturally responsive way, or are we perpetuating a preference for the dominant culture’s holidays?
- Is our school participating in tokenism and/or perpetuating surface-level or incorrect understanding of holidays?
- Do we acknowledge the increase mental health and wellness challenges that occur around Christmas/winter holiday time? What are we doing to support students, families, teachers and community members who may experience increased challenges during the winter?
- How are we talking about holidays, especially Christmas? Are we using language that includes or excludes? Are we using conversation prompts like “What was the best thing you ate for Thanksgiving?” or “What was your favorite Christmas/Hanukah present?” or even “Did you have a great break?” that make assumptions, or are we using neutral questions that allow students space to share any experience?
- Do we have our own rituals, routines and celebrations as a school? How do we support students to build community with one another in ways that are not connected to religious or national routines, rituals, and celebrations?
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