Tag Archives: Paper Folding

Conic Sections, Educational Technology, Math Software

The Folded Circle Construction

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Of all the conic section construction techniques, my favorite is undoubtedly the approach that requires nothing more than a paper circle. Here's what to do: Draw or print a circle and its center, point A, on a sheet of paper. Cut out the circle. Mark a random point B anywhere on the circle. Then, fold … Continue Reading ››
Education Policy

Teachers—Walk a Mile in their Classroom

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I was lucky enough this past week to visit some classrooms and see teachers using Sketchpad in various ways. It's been seven years since I was in the classroom myself, so for me it was like coming home. It brought back a lot of great memories, though also some reminders … Continue Reading ››
Conferences

A Swan Song for Sweet Karen Coe

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Today I leave for my first proper vacation in a year and a half. Last time I took such a vacation, Key sold its high school textbooks to Kendall Hunt and transformed from a publishing company to a educational technology company. This time I just hope to survive the end of the world. 🙂 Before … Continue Reading ››
Math Software

What’s up with Key? A Response to Dan Meyer

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The other week Dan Meyer sent out this tweet. While we appreciate the compliment (and the resulting increase in traffic), it's the first part of that sentence … Continue Reading ››
Common Core

Back to the Future: Finding Traces of the Common Core in an 1893 Textbook

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I was taken aback when I saw that a theater was showing the Michael J. Fox movie, Back to the Future, in celebration of its 25th anniversary. My first thought was, “Darn, am I that old?” After taking my Gingko Biloba, my memory was successfully jogged … Continue Reading ››
Common Core

Classifying shapes into a hierarchy is a 5th grade standard? Really?!

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As I recently worked on correlating our materials to the newly released Common Core State Standards, I was surprised to find many of the topics we commonly associate with a high school geometry course placed throughout the standards for elementary grades. I was surprised, but not shocked. In fact, I've believed for a long … Continue Reading ››