Cool+Stuff

A page with mathematical, educational, or just plain interesting stuff!


> I've always professed that mathematics is logic, and attempting to learn and understand a subject matter before making judgement is solid advice for life. The link provided is from another of my favorite podcasts, NPR's This American Life, a radio show that selects a theme and simply shares stories based on that theme. This link shares insight into why the popular 70's and 80's rock band Van Halen always asked for a bowl of M&M's in their dressing room with the brown M&M's removed. Why did they do this? Were they selfish, conceited rock stars asking for extravagant items just because they could?... read the Prologue or listen to the podcast below to find out for yourself. This American Life media type="custom" key="28817234"

> I've posted two of my favorite clips from NPR: The TED Radio Hour. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design, and the TED Radio Hour is "a journey through fascinating ideas: astonishing inventions, fresh approaches to old problems, new ways to think and create." I think both of these audio clips are fascinating and provide great insight into motivation, leadership, and the power of positive actions towards others.

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> A ccording to Anthony Carnevale, an economist at Georgetown University, what you major in has a bigger influence over your income than where you go to school. Check out the link to see the top 10 most and least lucrative college majors based on the 2012 U.S. Census.

The Most (And Least) Lucrative College Majors

> Is Taco Bell making progress for the future? As a mathematician, this information worries me... see if you can figure out why! (Hint, read the 3rd paragraph) Taco Bell promises better nutrition by 2020

> How much does a teacher really affect learning? Based on research by Jim Alexander, Ph.D., Professor at Kentucky Wesleyan College, "around 9 percent of variation in student achievement is due to teacher characteristics. About 60 percent of variation is explainable by individual student characteristics, family characteristics, and such variables. All school input combined (teacher quality, class variables, etc.) account for approximately 21 percent of student outcomes." So even though teachers are the most important school-based factor in student achievement (however you measure it), a teacher's influence pales in comparison to factors from outside the school. So now you can explain to me the logic of how student testing and observations should count 100% of a teacher's evaluation for effectiveness when teachers, even the best ones, account for less than 10 percent of student achievement."

I found this to be a fascinating article into what we should expect of our students/children and how (hopefully) education should look in the future. Schools Matter

> Does late night texting affect teenage health? media type="youtube" key="F7cmf6KKhg8" width="420" height="315"

> I think this is a great article for any parents whose children have smartphones. Thirteen-year-old Greg Hoffman had been begging his parents for an iPhone all year. So on Christmas morning he was thrilled to find the object of his desire under the tree, but there was a catch. The phone came with an 18-point set of terms and conditions that he had to agree to before the phone could be his. And the agreement did not come from Apple or the phone provider, it was from his mother. iPhone rules for teenagers

> One of my favorite podcasts is WNYC's Radiolab, a broadcast that "is a show about curiosity. Where sound illuminates ideas, and the boundaries blur between science, philosophy, and human experience." I find the ideas they discuss to be mesmerizing and get me to think and wonder in ways I could never imagine. Below is one of my favorite episodes entitled "Dark Side of the Earth". Here is the synopsis from the Radiolab website:

"200 miles above Earth's surface, astronaut Dave Wolf -- rocketing through the blackness of Earth's shadow at 5 miles a second -- floated out of the Mir Space Station on his very first spacewalk. In this short, he describes the extremes of light and dark in space, relives a heart-pounding close call, and shares one of the most tranquil moments of his life." media type="custom" key="21578832"

> One of my favorite commercials that pertains to conditional statements: media type="youtube" key="kIv3m2gMgUU" width="560" height="315"

> Brain Main: Daniel Tammet is a young Englishman who suffers from a mysterious disorder of the brain called savant. He might just be the key to better understanding the brain. Daniel Tammet - Brain Man

> A great logic puzzle game, nickednamed "The Cow Game" (my students LOVE it!): @http://www.q-lympics.de/iq-marathon/game.swf

> For everyone who likes logarithms, here's the "Log Song" from Ren & Stimpy: media type="custom" key="25137846"

> The Awareness Test... how well do you pay attention?
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Study Tips That Pay Off In Life and School In the balancing act of life, teens who juggle school with activities, like social networking and sports, typically find that studying is the ball that gets dropped most often. Poor study habits extend beyond middle and high school to damage a teen's ability to succeed in college. But with parents' help, teens can break poor habits and learn a solid study routine that leads to college success.

Generation Wired We are just beginning to assess how this nonstop connectivity is affecting our kids’ social and intellectual development. It is increasingly clear that it’s changing the nature of children’s relationships to each other, to their families, and to the world around them. The latest research suggests it may even be rewiring their brains.

Is Multitasking Helpful or Harmful to Teenagers? Dr. Beth Hellerstein, University Hospital pediatrician at Green Road Pediatrics and assistant clinical professor at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine and Dr. Steven Wexberg, staff pediatrician at Cleveland Clinic Beachwood Family Health Center answer questions about teens and multitasking.

What Teachers Want To Tell Parents A thought-provoking article by Ron Clark, an award-winning teacher who started his own academy in Atlanta. Here are some of his main ideas: I don't necessarily agree with everything he says, but I really like the main points. Read it and decide for yourself.
 * He wants parents to trust teachers and their advice about their students
 * Clark says some teachers hand out A grades so parents won't bother them
 * It's OK for kids to get in trouble sometimes; it teaches life lessons, Clark says

> The Marshmallow Test: Does self-discipline equate to lifelong success?
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