Professional goals for 2013

• Improve my tweet/blog ratio. 

I have roughly ~4,600 tweets but only 23 blog posts (counting this one).  I started this year knowing that I wanted to have a professionally oriented twitter and blog and I've managed to do both.  Upon reflection it seems that I can still tweet daily with content being mostly info that comes across my reader feed and hashtag chats but should designate at least one day per week to blog.

The focus of my "reactionary" posts should be the topic du jour of the hashtag chat, my reaction to an interesting blog post, article or paper, etc.

I should also seek to create original content.  I am endlessly creating and tweaking content for my students and staff and much of what I do could likely benefit others in my field.  This dovetails into my next resolution...

• Participate more in "real world" professional development

One of the downsides of doing one's work entirely online is how easy it is to fall out of real-world communication with... everyone and everything. Looking back on 2013 I am thrilled that there is such an active education and technology community in Baltimore, MD but thoroughly disappointed in how few events I attended in person (none!). This has to change in 2013. 

• Be more of a leader

My professional position seems to be rather uncommon. I work with highly gifted math students in rolling-admissions online courses that are based on an individual mathematical dialog between student and instructor.  I also develop curriculum for these courses and supervise instructors. After four years of this (as of Nov 2008) I feel like I have a very good idea for what works and what does not.  It's time to articulate these ideas. 

I look forward to a year of learning and professional growth via engaging with educators in person and online!

landscape panoramas before & after snowfall

I have the pleasure of spending my holiday in rural Indiana, specifically Boonville. Below are some photos I took before and after some snow (with permission of the landowners, of course). If there is any beauty contained within these photos, it is because the landscapes and camera did all of the work. I hope you and your family are having a safe and happy holidays.

Sincerely,
Joe

Before: 2012 12 25 
After:  2012 12 26

Click to enlarge each set of images.

Here are some others I took on the 26th which don't have a "before" shot. 

Click to enlarge.

A lonely barn on the way to a quiet wooded path.

The road goes ever on...

The land is so flat in Indiana.

A spectacular half-frozen pond in the woods.

Another view of the pond.

 My next post will be math related, I promise.

Volunteer Juggling Lessons

Juggling has been my passion since I was 11 years old and every time I go out and give a workshop or lesson, planned or impromptu, I can't help but wonder if I am unlocking the love for juggling in people who didn't even know they had it. After nearly 18 years of juggling, I figure the law of large numbers is on my side and there is at least one such case out there somewhere, even if I don't know about it.


If you are interested in having me give a juggling workshop at your school or for your event, please feel free to contact me.

mathteacher1729 at yahoo dot com

At a recent hike + cookout I gave an impromptu juggling workshop. (meetup.com group)

Here are some of my adventures from 2012.

Sat 11 Nov 2012 -- Univ. of Maryland College park's Kappa Delta sorority hosted the Girl Scouts for International Girl's Day.  One of the activities emphasized physical activity and fitness and I worked with a few of the UMD Juggling club members to lead a juggling workshop.

Thurs 25 Oct 2012 and Tues 5 June 2012 --  Maryland School for the Deaf (Columbia campus).

In June I was invited to give a short juggling workshop to the 4th and 5th graders of MSD.  A member of the UMD juggling club joined me and it was a great day.  The students were very receptive to it all and it was surprisingly easy to demo and teach juggling without saying a word. One of the teachers acted as a translator but it was hardly needed, as juggling is very visual. The message I had was very simple

• Juggling is fun!
• The more you practice, the better you get. 
• Juggling is for boys and girls. 
• You can juggle on your own or you can juggle with friends. 

I explained that when I started I dropped all the time (still do) and that I'm still learning new moves even though it's been about 18 years since I started.

The students were very eager to get started and there were a few who really caught on quickly! I was invited back again because it was a great physical activity with a positive message and it did not require any sound.

In October there was a large haunted house, the only one in Columbia, from what I understand due to various fire and safety restrictions.  The school ends up making lots of money which goes to help the students and nearly 600 people, hearing and deaf, show up. There is no way for them all to go through the haunted house at once, so they go in small groups of 5 or 10 while everyone waits in the gym for their turn.  There are lots of activities in the gym, and one of them was -- you guessed it, juggling lessons. Several students remembered me from my last visit and were eager to juggle again.

Possibly my favorite moment was a student who really got a kick out of throwing a ball up and then I would catch it while juggling. I would end the pattern by throwing the same ball back to him and he would catch it.  The first time we did this he turned heel and ran to the opposite side of the gym to show his mom.  One of the teachers at the school said this student was having self-confidence problems and the juggling made his evening and helped him socialize the next day with other students because he had a happy story to tell. There were several other students who spent most of their time juggling in the gym while juggling and another teacher said that they are ordinarily rambunctious and disruptive, but they seemed to be more or less under control while juggling.

16 Sept 2012 -- MD Renaissance Festival. I always bring my props with me wherever I go, and this was no exception.  There was as "juggling school" set up and I asked if it was ok if I helped.  The workers gladly said yes, and I gave them my card for next year then set up shop.  At the Ren Fest there was an interesting mix of excited young kids who were eager to juggle and ... their slightly drunken parents. ;-p All in all it was a fun and kid-friendly event.

Pre-June 2012 -- Mostly at the Inner Harbor, Baltimore MD.  During the summer I would juggle at the inner harbor on a nice weekend.  People would stop and watch and I would happily show anyone interested some basics.  Every now and then I would meet someone who already knew how to juggle and I would show them some more advanced moves based on what they already knew.

The Electoral College

As a mathematically literate citizen, my brain hurts every time I contemplate the electoral college method of selecting a president in the USA. Below are some quick facts and graphs which communicate how ineffective and inappropriate it is for a modern functioning democracy.

First of all, major props to CGPGrey for this YouTube playlist on the electoral college featuring the following three videos:

How the electoral college works. 

The trouble with the electoral college -- all votes are not equal. 

and

What if the electoral college is tied?

Watch them all. 

CGPGrey's videos are the best. They are succinct, well-researched, entertaining, and thorough summaries of the absurdity which is the electoral college. Votes are literally unequal across states. Here is an interactive map showing the ratio between population and electoral votes per state.  

Finally, have a look at these maps which distorts states by the amount of money spent for their votes.  

The USA needs election reform if is to reach anywhere near its full potential as a democracy. 

I haven't even addressed gerrymandering or Citizen's United...

Hurricane Sandy, the NOAA, graphs, and charts. (and a dash of politics)

The NOAA is an organization which benefits all Americans. The number of lives (and amount of money) it has saved through preventative measures is staggering.  Think of the millions of citizens that are evacuated or are made better prepared each year due to its services.  I do not mind a portion of my hard earned income tax going toward this investment because the return on the investment great beyond measure.

It is interesting to note that both NASA and the NOAA are set to have their funding cut. This, in my opinion, is tragic.

The wealth of data that is available to the public via NOAA is truly outstanding. From this raw data, many interesting graphs and charts can be created. From these charts, we can ask questions and with some mathematical insight, obtain answers relevant to our own safety during an extreme weather event.

It also provides a useful unit conversion tool and to help us get a sense of perspective, here is radar for the entire 48 states on a continually updated loop.

Here is some buoy data for the Baltimore Inner Harbor, with water level and wind speed & air pressure graphs. As the air pressure decreases, the wind speed increases.

Here is data from a buoy off of Cape Hattaras. There seems to be a wind-speed anomaly. Perhaps one can use the map tool to find data for another buoy nearby...

Indeed, one can. 

Here is another buoy, farther south and west of the Cape Hattaras. We can see a sudden drop off and pick up in wind speed. Also, the air pressure bottoms out at ~ 28.82 in (975.96 according to the conversion tool) and the wind speed tops out at ~57 knots (~66 mph). 

Being able to read and interpret charts is a critical skill.  Hopefully everyone in the path of Hurricane Sandy will recognize that this is a tremendous storm with the potential to do wide-spread and severe damage. Here are some sobering words from the NOAA:

PREPARATIONS SHOULD BE WRAPPING UP AS CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO

WORSEN TONIGHT AND ESPECIALLY ON MONDAY.

SOME IMPORTANT NOTES...

1. IF YOU ARE BEING ASKED TO EVACUATE A COASTAL LOCATION BY STATE

AND LOCAL OFFICIALS, PLEASE DO SO.

2. IF YOU ARE RELUCTANT TO EVACUATE, AND YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO RODE

OUT THE `62 STORM ON THE BARRIER ISLANDS, ASK THEM IF THEY COULD DO

IT AGAIN.

3. IF YOU ARE RELUCTANT, THINK ABOUT YOUR LOVED ONES, THINK ABOUT

THE EMERGENCY RESPONDERS WHO WILL BE UNABLE TO REACH YOU WHEN YOU

MAKE THE PANICKED PHONE CALL TO BE RESCUED, THINK ABOUT THE

RESCUE/RECOVERY TEAMS WHO WILL RESCUE YOU IF YOU ARE INJURED OR

RECOVER YOUR REMAINS IF YOU DO NOT SURVIVE.

4. SANDY IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS STORM. THERE WILL BE MAJOR

PROPERTY DAMAGE, INJURIES ARE PROBABLY UNAVOIDABLE, BUT THE GOAL IS

ZERO FATALITIES.

5. IF YOU THINK THE STORM IS OVER-HYPED AND EXAGGERATED, PLEASE ERR

ON THE SIDE OF CAUTION.

WE WISH EVERYONE IN HARMS WAY ALL THE BEST. STAY SAFE!

Graphs & Charts (mostly about relationships)

I'm a fan of graphs and charts. In addition to telling a clear story behind vast quantities of seemingly impenetrable data (check out any one of Hans Rosling's TED talks or NYT's Interactive Dataviz) I like seeing them used in clever ways, especially when they (accurately!) express ideas which are strictly non-mathematical.  The webcomic indexed is based around this concept. 

Here are a few of my favorites examples of the more tongue-in-cheek kind. 

"Fluctuations of three intensities over time" (lust, infatuation & attraction) has four graphs (see the others here). It's amazing how much just a few quick colored lines can convey. Do you agree with the artist? What would the graph of your current (or former) relationship/s look like?

Kurt Vonnegut is one of my favorite authors and I've only ever read one of his books. (Cat's Cradle) Note to self: read the rest of his bibliography. Here he talks about The Shape of a Story and generalizes all stories ever told into a few simple line graphs.

Video of K.V.'s short talk on the simple shapes of stories:

Dead Poet's Society has many great scenes, one of which involved graphing the formula P*I = G (perfection x Importance = Greatness). The greatness of the poem, then, is simply the area of the rectangle drawn out when one plots the perfection vs greatness on a plane.  This sounds like something current metric-obsessed ed reformers would eat up with a spoon. Of course it completely strips poetry of any humanity (and this meaning) and I'll be that's something else current metric-obsessed ed reformers would eat up with a spoon, too.

The scene where poetry is mesaured -- "Rip it out!" 

Arthur Mattuck is one of my favorite MIT Lecturers.  He is funny and engaging, but beyond that he makes very clever use of metaphors to help illuminate subtle and seemingly complicated ideas. Here he is using the love between George Costanza and his wife Susan from Seinfeld to model & interpret a system of linear differential equations with complex eigenvalues.

The relevant part of the lecture starts here. The full course is here.

     "And we are going to consider x is modeling Susan's love for George. And George's love for Susan will be y. Now, I don't mean the absolute love. If x and y are zero, I don't mean that they don't love each other. I just mean that that is the equilibrium value of the love. Everything else is measured as departures from that. So (0, 0) represents the normal amount of love, if love is measured... I don't know what love units are. Hearts, I guess. This is a normal equation... and this is a neurotic equation." 

Suggestions for Mathematical Exposition in Video & Writing

It's important that students learn how to solve problems and clearly communicate the thought process behind their solutions to others, usually through handwritten or typeset mathematical exposition, maybe with a few figures here and there to highlight relevant geometric aspects of the solution. Since I teach entirely online (I'm never in the classroom with my students) I feel that precise communication of ideas and solution methods are particularly important. There are often many paths to the correct answer in AP Calc, Linear Algebra, Multivariable Calc and Diffeqs. I want to know what insights and methods my students used to arrive at their answers, correct or otherwise. 

I took a relatively simple problem from differential equations 

y' = (3x^2-e^x)/(2y-5), y(0) = 1

and created a video explaining how to solve it, without me writing out every single step as I went along because I wanted to include some quick highlights during the solving itself and follow the solution with some qualitative dynamic exploration of the slope field and initial conditions using various free software such as Geogebra, dfield, and winplot.

After that, I wrote up a LaTeX document (stored on http://www.sharelatex.com)  and made a video describing some basic style & exposition guidelines for writing up one's HW or Tests in LaTeX. The same guidelines apply if writing solutions by hand.

Below is the raw LaTeX code and here is the document in PDF form.

% STYLE SUGGESTIONS
%
% When showing steps in compuations, line up equal signs vertically, one per line.
% Indent your code to make it more readable (and editable).
% Show relevant (calculus & diffeq) steps. 
% Interpret solution and steps in context of the problem & class. 
% Communicate your thought process so the reader does not have to assume or guess at what you did. 
%


\documentclass{article}


% Packages
\usepackage{amsmath, amssymb}   % math formatting & symbols
\usepackage{graphicx}           % insert graphics
\usepackage{eulervm, bookman}   % fonts for math & symbols
%\usepackage{fullpage}          % fullpage margins


\begin{document}
% Title 
\title{Seperable Differential Equation with Initial Value Example}
\author{Joe DiNoto}
\maketitle


\begin{enumerate}
    \item % 1 
        Given differential equation $y' = \dfrac{3x^2-e^x}{2y-5}$ and initial value $y(0)=1$
        \begin{enumerate}
            \item % 1a
                Solve the IVP explicitly, ($y$ as a function of $x$).
                The equation is seperable. Separate the variable and integrate. 
                \begin{align*}
                    \frac{dy}{dx}   & =\frac{3x^2-e^x}{2y-5}\\
                    \int 2y -5 \ dy & = \int 3x^2 -e^x \ dx \\
                    y^2 -5y +c_1    & = x^3 -e^x +c_2 \\
                    y^2 -5y         & = x^3 -e^x +C 
                \end{align*}    
                Combine the constants $c_2-c_1=C$. Now use the intial conditions to solve for $C$.
                \begin{align*}
                    (1)^2-5(1)  & = (0)^3-e^{(0)}+C\\
                                & \therefore \\
                            C   & = -3
                \end{align*}
                We now want to find express $y$ as a function of $x$. We can do this by noting that we ultimately have a quadratic equation in $y$. Use the quadratic formula to solve it for $y$. 
                \begin{align*}
                    y^2-4y -(x^3-e^x-3)     & = 0 \\
                    y                       & = \frac{-(-5) \pm \sqrt{(-5)^2-4(1)(-(x^3-e^x-3))}}{2(1)}\\
                    y                       & = \frac{5}{2} \pm \sqrt{13/4 + x^3-e^x}
                \end{align*}
                Again we use the intial conditions to determine if we should use the positive, negative, or both parts of the square root. 
                \begin{align*}
                    1   & = 5/2 \pm \sqrt{13/4 + (0)^3 -e^{(0)}} \\
                    1   & = 5/2 \pm 3/2 \\
                        & \therefore \\
                    y   & = \frac{5}{2} - \sqrt{13/4 + x^3-e^x}
                \end{align*}
                Because $5/2-3/2 = 1$ and $5/2+3/2 = 4 \neq 1$.
            \item % 1b
                Clearly sketch and label the solution curve and direction field. 
                \begin{center}
                    \includegraphics[scale=0.5]{figure.png}
                \end{center}
            \item % 1c
                What is the interval of validity for the function $y$ given the initial value?
                The function is defined only when the follwing is true: 
                    $$13/4 + x^3-e^x>0$$ 
                Using a computer we find that $x \in (-1.44, 4.63)$.
        \end{enumerate}
    \item % 2 
        Second question goes here
        \begin{enumerate}
            \item % 2a
                two a goes here
            \item % 2b 
                two b goes here
        \end{enumerate}
    \item % 3
        Third question here
    \item % 4 
        Fourth question goes here
\end{enumerate}




\end{document}

The role of technology in my day to day life

Technology plays an interesting role in my life.  Professionally, it is central to what I do on a day-to-day basis. I'm a full time online math instructor for AP & College level math at JHU CTY Online, so virtual meetings, email, graphing software, etc. are my bread & butter. Communication of complex mathematical ideas is what I do, and I make sure to take advantage of and master all relevant tools.  Without doing so, I'd be out of a job!

Outside of work however, I purposefully keep my life as technology free as possible. 

I use a laptop that I purchased used in 2007 as my main computing device, largely for checking email, writing blogs, and following shows like Adventure Time & Community. My phone is only capable of sending and receiving phone calls.  No texting, no internet, it takes incredibly tiny pictures (480 x 640 pixels, which is just under 1/3rd of a megapixel).  I don't own a television, and my entertainment system is the same CD Player/alarm clock radio I've had since the last 90s. 

Does anyone else purposefully keep themselves tech-free in their lives outside of work? 

Just what exactly IS pre-calculus?

Different schools denote pre-calculus by many different names.  Any combinations of algebra I, II, III (Yes, Alg III), trig, or just "pre-calc" are considered "pre-calculus" depending on which school one is dealing with.  To each combination, one can add an "honors" prefix or a "with trig" suffix.

In deciding if a student is indeed ready to take calculus, I look at the topics covered in the class(es) they've taken in the past year.  If they match the list below, then I consider the student more or less ready to go and needing minimal remediation. It's worked out pretty well so far.

As far as I can see "Pre-Calculus" is the algebra and geometry of three main kinds of functions:

1. polynomials
2. exponential & logarithmic
3. trigonometric 

Students should be able to:

• recognize domain and range over bounded or unbounded intervals
• find x & y intercepts 
• understand scaling and translation f(x) vs a*f(b*(x - h)) + k
• find end behavior as x goes to +/- infinity
• find horizontal & vertical asymptotes
• understand function combination & composition
• understand the concept of an inverse and how it relates to domain & range, graphically & algebraically
• hand-sketch a given function and clearly highlight its important features
• evaluate functions at specific points
• algebraically manipulate & simplify trig identities, log rules, and factoring, cancelling, and collecting like terms
• know the entire unit circle and the trig sum & difference formulas
• use graphing software to dynamically visualize all of the above
• understand how each kind of function can be used to model real-world situations
• unambiguously communicate their thought process in their written solutions (or statements) of problems

I feel that students who enter my AP Calc class with these skills are well-prepared and tend to enjoy the course more because they are better able to see the calculus concepts through the "pre-calculus" algebraic manipulations, graphing, etc. 

What are your thoughts? Am I missing something?  Am I asking for too much? 

Khan Academy is not the only game in town for math videos.

This isn't a blog about bashing Khan Academy.  Khan Academy's math videos are good, but they are not the best. I mainly focus on math videos which are superior to Khan's.

Khan's analytics are the best. No doubt. Nobody comes close, at least as far as I know. When you have programming luminaries such as John Resig (creator of jQuery) on your team, the results are going to be outstanding.  The Khan Academy team is small, lean, efficient, and full of energy. The analytic tools available at Khan Academy are the best, hands down, bar none.

Khan Academy is not the only game in town for massive online problem sets, however. Try the Temple COW. http://www.math.temple.edu/~cow/ for problems in calc 1, 2, 3, linear algebra, number theory, and even abstract algebra.

I'm going to restrict myself to math videos for this blog post. All of the videos below have a few things in common:

1. Insight into the meaning of the mathematics. (not just rote problem-solving techniques)
2. Clearly chosen examples and
3. Well explained, nearly flawless delivery of any algebraic steps involved.

Here we go...

Math TV http://www.mathtv.com/videos_by_topic
Mr. McKeague is a lifelong educator who is one of my role models for pedagogy and professionalism. He has deep wisdom into teaching and life and he knows how to prepare and present sharply focused lessons that are approachable for students of all ages.  His website focuses largely on middle and secondary school math (number sense, algebra, trig, calculus). 

1. Advice for new teachers (good advice for any professional, really)
2. Following instructions (great for students!)

Midnight Tutors http://www.midnighttutor.com/
These guys were making online educational videos before Youtube was popular.  Unfortunately, they seemed to have stopped, but virtually all topics in AP Calculus are covered.  The main lecturer is professional educator and researcher in the sciences (rocket science, specifically) who has deep insight into the real life applicability of the math.  He is passionate, chooses clear illustrative examples, and does more than walk a student through a "bag of tricks" -- he encourages a way of thinking about mathematics which is rarely seen elsewhere.

1. Study tips -- applicable for all students
2. "Was this integral designed to torture calc students, or does it have meaning?"

MIT OCW (math superstars)
As you know, MIT has been producing free online videos (and readings, and java applets, etc.) in a variety of topics since around 2002.  Most of the video lectures are around 90 minutes in length, and not all of them are exactly the most engaging videos ever produced... but there are some gems out there!  Here are just a few.

Joel Lewis
All of his videos have extremely well-chosen examples, encourages students to try the problem on their own before revealing the solution, and gives plenty of intuition and interpretation of the results to highlight subtle points about the theorem or technique being used. Pretty much any video with Joel Lewis is gold.

1. Flux & Divergence Theorem

Herb Gross 
MIT filmed a calculus series back in the 70s with Dr. Herb Gross as the lecturer.  The lectures he gives are tremendously insightful, rigorous, yet still accessible. Herb makes sure to give ample explanation of the intuition behind each step of his reasoning and makes sure to constantly keep the "big picture" in mind as he goes through each lesson.  Also his accent reminds me of growing up in Bruk-Linn Noo Yawk. ;-p

1. The Multivariable chain rule and higher order mixed partial derivatives (I've never seen anyone explain it so clearly!)

Arthur Mattuk 

Arthur's writing (single variable calc, multivariable calc, diffeqs ) is just as good as his speaking. He uses clever metaphors to illustrate his examples and where such metaphors fail, he uses sterling clarity to choose examples to show where a theorem applies and where it may fail entirely.  He has a deep mathematical understanding of complex topics and their relationships between one another, as well as a great sense of humor.

1. Repeated Real Eigenvalues (Using the love between George Costanza and his wife Susan from Seinfeld to model & interpret a system of linear differential equations.)  

PatrickJMT (not with MIT) His Playlists

Patrick's math videos are usually short, to the point, feature a single, very clearly worked example, and start with a short summary of the theorem or property being used in the video.  His videos are great for illustrating example problems and a good strategy (for all videos, not just his) would be to pause and try to solve the problem before he does.  His videos are plentiful and thoughtfully composed. 

1. Infinite Series Review
2. Graphing a polar curve part 1, part 2

Finding news and information online

Here are some of my favorite online news and information aggregators related to mathematics.

• math overflow & math stackexchange
• hacker news
• slashdot
• /r/math & related subreddits (see sidebar)

I keep track of these (and everything else I'm subscribed to) with google reader. When I find something interesting I can save it, tweet it, or blog about it.  It's an efficient and organized way to sort through tons of information.

My Twitter Account was re-activated

From 23 May 2012 to 07 June 2012 my twitter account  @mathteacher1729 was suspended.

When I logged into http://twitter.zendesk.com it seems that the S-cause (Suspected, Suspended cause?) was a "Malware Attempt Report".

Fortunately all seems to be in working order now and all my tweets, retweets, favorites, followers, followees, and lists are all intact. I look forward to rejoining my professional learning network!

If you're interested, the string of emails is below (newer ones on top).


=================================================

Support, Jun 07 08:10 pm (PDT):
Hello,
It looks like this issue has been resolved. If you are still experiencing this issue, please open another ticket here: https://support.twitter.com/forms/general?subtopic=suspended
Thanks,
Twitter Trust and Safety

mathteacher1729, May 23 06:20 pm (PDT):
Hello,
I have reviewed the twitter rules and best practices and I still do not understand why my account was suspended.  I use my twitter account to grow my professional learning network, communicate with members of the education and mathematics community, share links related to math, science, physics, and occasionally juggling, etc.  Unless my account was hacked sometime between 23 May 2012 at ~ 4pm and the same day, several hours later at 9pm, I do not know why my account was suspended.
I sincerely hope it is brought back.  Thank you for your help and patience.
Sincerely,
Joe DiNoto
@mathteacher1729

________________________________
From: Twitter Support <notifications-support@twitter.zendesk.com>
To: mathteacher1729 <mathteacher1729@yahoo.com>
Sent: Wednesday, May 23, 2012 9:15 PM
Subject: # Twitter Support: update on "mathteacher1729 -- math & education account suspended 23 May 2012"

mathteacher1729, May 23 06:15 pm (PDT):
Regarding: Suspended account
Subject: mathteacher1729 -- math &amp; education account suspended 23 May 2012
Description of problem: Hello,
When I logged into twitter this evening, my account had been suspended. As far as I know, I did not violate any terms of service. I use my twitter account to grow my professional learning network of educators, share interesting links related to mathematics, physics, science &amp; education in general, and occasionally a video or two about juggling.
I hope that this suspension was in error and I hope my account is restored.
Full name: Joseph DiNoto
Twitter username: @mathteacher1729
Email address: mathteacher1729@yahoo.com
Phone number(optional): n/a



=================================================



Support, May 31 09:05 am (PDT):
Hello,
Your appeal has been reviewed and your account is scheduled for unsuspension within 24 hours. You may wish to review the Twitter Rules, located at twitter.com/rules.
Thanks,
Support

mathteacher1729, May 31 08:51 am (PDT):
Hello,
I have read through all of the rules and I still do not understand why my account was suspended.
I was neither being aggressive in following, nor did I receive an email from twitter stating that any such behavior was happening on my part.
I was following all twitter rules, and did not post anything that would have broken them.  I post math & education links and have math & education-related discussion with teachers and other professionals from around the world.
I did not receive any sort of spam email from someone claiming to be twitter.
I am sorry to post another ticket, but I have been cut off from a significant part of my professional learning network and can no longer share links & have quick discussions with my colleagues around the world and it's somewhat frustrating.
Thank you for your patience.
Sincerely,
Joe
________________________________
From: Twitter Support <notifications-support@twitter.zendesk.com>
To: mathteacher1729 <mathteacher1729@yahoo.com>
Sent: Thursday, May 31, 2012 11:44 AM
Subject: # Twitter Support: update on "Why was my account suspended?"

mathteacher1729, May 31 08:44 am (PDT):
Regarding: Suspended account
Subject: Why was my account suspended?
Description of problem: Sometime on 23 May between 4pm and 9m Eastern Time my twitter account @mathteacher1729 was suspended. I have no idea why this happened. I am a math teacher and use my twitter account to share links, videos, and information about math and education with other teachers and professionals.
If I did something wrong, I am very sorry -- but I sincerely do not understand why my account was suspended and I hope it can be restored as soon as possible, with all of my lists, followers, and followees intact.
Thank you,
Joe
Full name: Joe DiNoto
Twitter username: @mathteacher1729
Email address: mathteacher1729@yahoo.com
Phone number(optional): n/a

=================================================


Hello mathteacher1729!
We understand that you're contesting an account suspension. Please be sure to read this entire email; you will need to take further action in order to reopen your ticket and trigger a review of your account.
Twitter suspends accounts for a variety of reasons:
• If your account was suspended for aggressive following behavior, you should have received an email notification to the address associated with your Twitter account. You'll need to confirm that you've removed all prohibited following automation from your account, and will stop any manual aggressive following behavior. To expedite your appeal process, please review our Best Practices page if you haven't already, and then reply to this ticket with a confirmation that you understand our policies and will not engage in any prohibited following behavior.
• Please take a minute to review the Twitter Rules.
• If you received an email from admin@twitter.com saying 'you're being suspended' or that we're going delete your account, you're safe; the email is fake. More information here https://support.twitter.com/articles/204820-safety-fake-twitter-emails
• While we strive to avoid mistakes, it's also possible that your account was suspended in error. If after reviewing the Rules, you have no idea why your account was suspended, just reply to this email indicating as much, and we'll take another look at your case. Our apologies if the error turns out to be ours.
Thanks,
Twitter Trust & Safety
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responding to this email will reopen this ticket and put your ticket in queue for support. If you do not reply, your case will be closed. Note that you need to reply from the address this mail was sent to. If you use an alias (such as username+alias@gmail.com) to manage your account, ensure that your reply comes from the alias address or your ticket may not be seen by our support staff.
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Your request summary is:

mathteacher1729, May 23 06:15 pm (PDT):
Regarding: Suspended account
Subject: mathteacher1729 -- math &amp; education account suspended 23 May 2012
Description of problem: Hello,
When I logged into twitter this evening, my account had been suspended. As far as I know, I did not violate any terms of service. I use my twitter account to grow my professional learning network of educators, share interesting links related to mathematics, physics, science &amp; education in general, and occasionally a video or two about juggling.
I hope that this suspension was in error and I hope my account is restored.
Full name: Joseph DiNoto
Twitter username: @mathteacher1729
Email address: mathteacher1729@yahoo.com
Phone number(optional): n/a

Why was my Twitter account suspended?!

Generally speaking, I don't like to use mixed punctuation, but I feel its use in the title of this blog post is called for.  

Sometime between 5pm and 9pm Eastern time Wed 23 May 2012, my Twitter account was suspended. 

This is what it looks like when your twitter account is suspended. :(

There was no warning or anything just -- boom. I filled out their form and from what I gather after reading this blog if my account is allowed to come back, I will have lost all of my lists, followers, and people I follow.

This is frustrating, but perhaps good, as it will allow me to focus on other things such as blogging and creating youtube videos.

I hope to be back soon.

Cheers,
Joe

Three problems, Three solutions

The following is my opinion.

There are three significant problems facing the USA.

1. "The Economy"
2. "Healthcare"
3. "The Wars"

I believe the solution to these problems will never be reached by legislation alone, even if our legislators were able to work in perfect harmony with one another. That is because I believe that "a nation is its people" and that a nation with a high proportion of self disciplined and critical thinking individuals is desirable. 

If the USA wishes to solve problems 1 through 3, then it should do everything in its power to ensure all students learn the following by the time they are of voting age. 

1. Have a solid understanding of personal finance.  This includes, but is not strictly limited to:
• Be able to draft and adhere to a personal budget including: estimating gross & net wages, rent, utilities, transportation, food, loans, etc. 
• Be able to live on ~80% of what you take home after taxes. 
• Be able to understand how interest rates & loans work. 
• Understand relative orders of magnitude - million, billion, trillion, etc. 
2. Understand how the human body works and practice healthy habits. 
• Food = Fuel.  Garbage in, garbage out.  
• Don't do hard drugs at all and if you choose to do soft drugs (including alcohol & tobacco), do so responsibly. Don't mix drugs & operating vehicles or guns!
• Exercise is key. 30 minutes of waking per day can do wonders for you!
• Understand how the human reproductive system works and the biological perils of sex (STDs, babies). Birth control, when properly & consistently used, can greatly reduce those risks, but never eliminate them. 
• Your body is yours and everyone (including yourself) should respect it!
3. Comparative religious studies, learn about the rise and fall of nations, and have international pen-pals. 
• Knowing the origins and stories behind the three Abrahamic faiths is useful because they are in one way or another deeply embedded in so many of the wars that are going on.  The similarities & differences between Judaism, Islam, and Christianity would be useful to highlight how one's own faith is similar to and different from the faith of those we're bombing/planning to bomb. 
• "Those who don't learn their history are doomed to repeat it." Egyptians, Mayans, Romans, Greeks, Ottomans... what happened? What made them rise & be great, what made them fall? How is any of that relevant to today's page in history?
• Having international pen-pals will help humanize people students may never interact with otherwise. This might help future generations realize that people are different from the governments who may (or may not) represent them. It's harder to ask for bombs to be dropped on a country where a friend lives.  This goes both ways. :) 

With a knowledge of personal finance an individual citizen is less likely to make mistakes or fall for tricks which led to the housing crisis and avert many people's general state of financial woe as well as help individuals have savings for a rainy day or week. With a knowledge of the human body a person can make intelligent decisions about their own health and stave off preventable illness at large. With an understanding of other cultures and religions, people might be more tolerant of the fact that not everyone thinks like they do and be less likely to want to go to war. 

These are my own opinions.  

Thank you for reading.  Discussion welcome!

Robot Fest 2012 pics & vids

This year I went to the annual http://www.robotfest.com/

Description from their website:

Robot Fest is an annual event for anyone interested in the creative use of technology. We welcome all roboticists, hackers, artists, hobbyists and makers of any age who have the unquenchable urge to develop and create new, previously unseen forms from lifeless electronics, fabrics and mechanical parts. Join the fun and excitement with hands-on exhibits, and workshops!

 It was super fun!  If you're a parent or a teacher of any STEM subject, please do whatever you can to attend one of these with your kid(s) and/or students!  There were plenty of opportunities for hands-on interaction ranging from:

• creating music with a theramin 
• using a hacked Microsoft Kinect to virtually manipulate a puppet or robotic arm
• playing battle-bots! (automated or remote-controlled)
• building and then listening to your own radio
• building and launching a rocket
• creating circuits with a play-doh like substance
• generating electric currents, comparing visible light to infrared, and lots more

There were activities which were suited for children of all ages, from k through college-level and adults!  From simply flipping a switch which causes some lights to blink to elaborate circuit diagrams and manipulating complex machinery, there was something for everyone.  People who enjoy seeing how things work would have a field day here, it was amazing and very enjoyable for yours truly. 

Below are some images and videos (click to enlarge)

cardboard cutout robots

The Enigma machine de-coder

The enigma machine!

Create your own radio!

HAM radio operators (the gentleman on the left was very friendly and informative).

Yours truly in infrared. I guess I have poor circulation in my hands?

Lego Battle-bots!

Makebot makin' a drawing.

No caption needed.  This was a fully functioning R2D2.

A makerbot making a 3d bunny.

Here are some happy robots.

Detailed (and functioning) scale model warships.

More warships.

Makerbot RepRap making a bunny. 

Non-Newtonian fluid in action

Makerbot drawing the robotfest logo.  (very meta)

Kinect demo. Wave your hands to manipulate the puppet.

White house vs. congress. I'm sure this is a metaphor for something.

Four battlebots duke it out!