The Internet provides a valuable tool that teachers should keep at the top of their toolbox. As a new teacher, I will have received a lot of tools between courses, classes, mentor training and workshops by the time I finish the MIT program. Most of these tools will get thrown into my toolboxes for some future day. I have already identified several that will be stored far lower in the toolbox than others and will possibly never be use (I'm looking at you Capacity Matrix.) Others I plan to implement fairly quickly if not immediately, and I want to keep them near the top of my toolbox so I don't forget about them once school gets going and I get lost in the excitement.
Another way to help my students connect with math is by inviting people who regularly use the principles to participate in the class discussions via Skype or web conferencing. While many professionals wouldn't be able to take a half-day to speak with some students, most can allocate 10-15 minutes to chat with students over a webcam. Not only that, location is no longer as big of an issue. There is no reason my students shouldn't be able to chat with an engineer at Boeing or Lockheed or even Airbus in France for that matter. The world has become our resource.
Great blog Tim! I too am really looking forward to making that "connection" for my students with the real world too. With my scouting experience, I know that we have that in common, I have always been one to bring in the professionals to expose my kids to things that they may not have access to (conservationists, geologists, etc.). Students love to hear about potential careers that are available when they are learning about new subjects. I have found that more often than not, people are willing to help and love the opportunity to come to speak. Technology opens so many more opportunities to make those connections happen!
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