2010 Accountability Memo

1. Mathematics Department: Accountability Report 2011
Name: A. Jorge García
Date: 4/15/2011
1) What courses did you teach during this school year?
Math 5HBC – AP Calculus BC
4R-11 – preCalculus 4 Juniors
APCS – AP Computer Science A
CMR/CMH – Computer Math Regents/Computer Math Honors
ACM – Advanced Computer Math Honors
CIS(theta) – Computing Independent Study
(CRL – Calculus Research Lab: almost ran this year)
2) Did you participate in peer coaching or classroom observations?
Yes
2) Peer Coaching – Please complete details:
a) Who was your peer coach?
George Drakatos
b) Explain your focus below.
How do new tests (Free Response Fridays) and review sheets (Think
A
Lot Thursdays) affect performance in 4R-11?
c) Write what your experience has been. Give specific
examples.
This cohort of students performed at a much higher level of
proficiency.
d) What evidence do you have that teaching has improved and
learning has increased? Be specific. (i.e. anecdotal,
exemplary student work, qualitative data)
I base this judgment on performance of prior cohorts.
3) What was your curriculum project? (Describe in detail)
I created a notebook full of Free Response Fridays (tests) and Think A
Lot Thursdays (review sheets) for my preCaclulus class modeled after my
Calculus course materials. The review sheets were used in a group setting
whereby students competed for bonus points.
I have also created a notebook of preTests, Tests and Labs using SAGE
for my Computer Math and Advanced Computer Math classes related to
Discrete Mathematics.
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2. Mathematics Department: Accountability Report 2011
Name: A. Jorge García
Date: 4/15/2011
4) Describe any special projects, presentations, research endeavors,
guest speakers, field trips that enhanced learning in your
classrooms this school year?
Friday after Midterm Week: I visited all the Math 2H classes to recruit
students for CM and ACM. I also visited all the Math 4H classes to recruit for
APCS and CRL. I encouraged all the Math 4H students to take Math 5HBC. I
actually took these classes on a “field trip” to Room 429 and had them use
http://www.sagenb.org to demo what they would be doing in CM/ACM or CRL
next year.
Teaching with Technology: Using a SmartBoard or Smart AirLiner Slate
and Wireless Mic allows me to record the lesson for students to review again
and again.
Learning with Technology: Students will benefit from learning how to do
math with software such as SAGE, Octave and R in addition to the traditional
Graphing Calculator environments.
Video Wednesday: Every Wednesday I show a 10-15 minute
educational video from a DVD or Youtube.
5) Explain how you facilitated success for your reluctant learners
this year and provided opportunities to improve and/or recover poor
grades this year? How did you make learning relevant?
Group Test: Students learn a topic best when they have to explain it to
a peer. My students in 5HBC do this with a preTest the day before every FRQ
Friday.
Re-Testing: In order to encourage students that need extra help to
actually attend extra help, I allow students to retake an exam if their grade is
less than 70% and they go over the first test with me in extra help.
6) Explain how you involved parents, deans and support service
providers in instruction to ensure academic success this year.
I am in constant contact with parents. Whenever a parent calls, I return
the call right away. I also provide my students and parents with my email
address. Further, I place all assignments on http://www.edmodo.com Edmodo
is a private Facebook-like website where I can setup a group for each of my
classes online. Using Edmodo, I can keep in constant contact with students
and parents. I update assignment sheets, smart-notes and screen-casts on
Edmodo everyday!
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3. Mathematics Department: Accountability Report 2011
Name: A. Jorge García
Date: 4/15/2011
7) Personal Goal: Explain in detail what you did & accomplished this
year that has made you a better teacher.
Youtube Recording Studio in Windows and Linux: I investigated the
use of SmartBoard products in the delivery of all of my math lessons. I
typically use a Smart AirLiner Slate and Wireless Mic (hardware) to record
everything I write as a pdf. Also, I record each lesson live as a video in mp4
format for ftp and youtube uploads. I use Smart Notebook, Smart Recorder,
VTI and Mathematica Player (software) to accomplish all the above. Please
see my youtube channels http://www.youtube.com/calcpage2009,
http://www.youtube.com/cistheta2007 I am also trying to make this work
with a tablet PC integrating the touch screen, mic and laptop all into one
device.
Linux Clusters: I have been researching Linux Cluster Programming for
several years now. I have done so with an eye toward incorporating several
cluster programming related activities in my computer science classes. We
have touched on this topic in class in the past. I incorporate this topic in my
Computing Independent Study class for students who have taken AP
Computer Science as Juniors.
8) Staff Development: Conference, courses taken etc.
http://www.onlinemathcourses.org: I took an online refresher course in
Algebra II for 3 graduate credits. I plan on taking preCalculus in like fashion.
Baldwin Staff Development Day and T3
Molloy: I spoke at SDD and T3
about using SAGE in class and setting up a Youtube Recording Studio! T3
stands for “Teachers teaching with Technology” and is sponsored by Texas
Instruments. The use of technology to enhance mathematics instruction is
the focus of this conference. The title of my talk was “Look Ma, No
Calculator” since I use VTI on my desktop or SAGE online instead of a
physical Graphing Calculator.
9) Describe your role in Department activities and initiatives.
I help teachers and students with problems relating to Graphing
Calculators and Personal Computers.
I develop and promote the computer curricula.
I am continually researching new curricula and teaching methods for
teaching computer programming.
I maintain a Linux ssh server and a Linux ftp server for the computer
programming students to use on campus and at home.
I make sure that the LAN in room 429 is up and running every day for
the APCS classes and the Computer Math/Advanced Computer Math classes.
I maintain a Linux Cluster, Shadowfax, in Room 429 for the Computing
Independent Study CIS(theta) class. Please see my blogs
http://shadowfaxrant.blogspot.com, http://cistheta.blogspot.com and my
media page http://www.zazzle.com/cistheta2008
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4. Mathematics Department: Accountability Report 2011
Name: A. Jorge García
Date: 4/15/2011
10) Describe your role in school co-curricular or extra curricular
activities.
co-curricular: I am the advisor for the Continental Mathematics League
(CML) in Calculus. We have 4 meets in class each year. We are currently 2nd
in New York State after 2 meets!
extra-curricular: My Computing Independent Study CIS(theta) students
are working to make the new dual-core 64-bit cluster operational using a
gigabit switched Ethernet network.
11) Professional Organizations:
http://www.ams.org American Mathematical Society
http://www.maa.org Mathematics Association of America
http://www.nctm.org National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
http://www.acm.org Association for Computing Machinery
http://www.amnh.org American Museum of Natural History
http://screencast-o-matic.org
MP4 Recorder Beta Tester
http://xournal.sourceforge.net
Pen App Beta Tester
http://www.sagemath.org SAGE Beta Tester
http://www.rocksclusters.org/wordpress
Rocks Clusters Beta Tester
http://www.ubunutu.com Ubuntu Linux Beta Tester
http://www.knoppix.net KNOPPIX Linux Beta Tester
http://gcc.gnu.org g++ for Linux Beta Tester
http://bccd.cs.uni.edu Bootable Cluster CD Beta Tester
http://www.cs.rit.edu/~ark/pj.shtml
parallelJava Beta Tester
http://www.quantian.net QUANTIAN Cluster Beta Tester
http://www.pelicanhpc.org Pelican HPC Cluster Beta Tester
12) Contests/Competitions/Grants:
http://www.donorschoose.org (free PC Projector from Bill & Melinda Gates)
http://www.continentalmathematicsleague.com (Calculus Competition)
13) Additional:
I have been involved, for several years now, as a Beta Tester for Linux
live CDs and DVDs in the Computer Science Classroom. I install and
maintain the latest updates of the Linux Kernel in Lab 429 and on the Linux
Servers. I am also a Beta Tester for SAGE, Ubuntu, g++, pelicanHPC and
parallelJava which I use in CM, ACM, APCS, CIS and CRL.
I have developed the curricula for both CM and ACM and taught both
courses for many years. I help the CM and ACM teachers as needed. I
developed a new course, CRL, which starts next year! CM/ACM and CRL all
use SAGE now.
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