OER, higher ed undergrad & consumer advocate at all levels. Open access, zero cost, student rights. Personal account. Our OERs: https://xitter.cf/t.co/ZEN2ovuueR
Tampa, FL
Joined August 2009
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NumericalGuy | Education and Consumer Advocate retweeted
New Substack: : Students should only use AI for things that they already know how to do well.
dtwuva.substack.com/p/studen…
NumericalGuy | Education and Consumer Advocate retweeted
Large dataset from chess.com shows much better improvement from deliberate practice than from game play. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.…
NumericalGuy | Education and Consumer Advocate retweeted
What has happened to children’s attention span? The problem may not be that they can’t pay attention, but rather that they don’t want to. I review the data here: educationnext.org/pay-attent…
NumericalGuy | Education and Consumer Advocate retweeted
Kat Allen, a PhD student in @TuftsMechEng & Human-Robot Interaction, and Mavis Murdoch, a PhD student in @TuftsCS, presented a position paper at the RESPECT 2025 conference this week. The paper title \is available to read online:
loom.ly/IcdMp5Q
ALT Mavis Murdoch and Kat Allen in front of screen that says "Empowering Disabled Engineers through Accessible Co-Curricular Activities at the RESPECT Conference
NumericalGuy | Education and Consumer Advocate retweeted
For integers n >= 0 and m >= 1, the Bessel functions J_n(x) and J_{n+m}(x) have no common zeros except at x = 0.
NumericalGuy | Education and Consumer Advocate retweeted
Completely endorse this. No child under 14 should have their own smartphone. They’re *designed* to be compulsive. Adults can barely put them down. They rob children of being present.
Monmouthshire teachers urge smartphone ban for children under 14 bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwyx…
NumericalGuy | Education and Consumer Advocate retweeted
A couple of years ago, the fam met at Red Lobster for dinner, and while we were all waiting for the cheddar biscuits and attempting to chat, my pre-k grandson was out of his seat and driving us - and everyone around us - nuts.
Until his placemat and a box of crayons showed up.
A pair of “Spot the differences” drawings was on the mat, and when he spotted them, he became a different kid. We had ten full minutes of uninterrupted conversation while he combed through the drawings searching for the ten differences.
Similar story:
A couple of months ago, my first-grade granddaughter was bored and poking around her daddy’s home office while he was in the living room, and she came across a copy of You Teach You, Book One (he’s a partner on our You Teach You project). 15 minutes later, she was sitting in the living room beside him, checking the eight addition activities she had just completed on her own, and going “Yes!”, “Yes!”, “Yesssss!”
What do these two stories have in common?
They both illustrate a formula that education would do very well to reckon with:
B + CC = M.
Boredom + Checkable Challenges = Motivation.
I didn’t need to motivate my grandson by explaining the differences between the drawings to him.
My son-in-law didn’t need to motivate my granddaughter by explaining the importance of math to her.
In both cases, all it took was a kid with nothing else to do (if that doesn’t describe the typical school classroom, I don’t know what does), some challenging tasks that they could do (the “Spot the differences” tasks were tricky but doable, and each You Teach You problem comes with a self-explanatory pre-worked example), and a way for them to see if they got everything right (there were exactly 10 differences between the drawings, and the You Teach You activities feature a self-checking and fully-worked solution for every problem).
Since I’ve been on eduTwitter, a number of eduTwitterers have been (understandably) skeptical of my claim that even very young students can teach themselves math with the right materials. The skepticism has usually revolved around the problem of motivation.
This is because we’ve managed to over-complicate motivation.
Kids will do anything to avoid boredom. (Motivation.)
Kids love challenges. (Motivation.)
Kids love to test their abilities. (Motivation.)
Want to motivate students according to what they find motivational?
B + CC = M, it’s as simple as that.
Boredom + Checkable Challenges = Motivation.
#StudentMotivation #LearningDesign #Parenting #EdChat #TeacherLife
NumericalGuy | Education and Consumer Advocate retweeted
With permission from @C_Hendrick I've republished his must-read essay "Defending the Science of Learning" on my Substack. Don't just read it. Study it.
thenext30years.substack.com/…
NumericalGuy | Education and Consumer Advocate retweeted
Here's a practical intro for anyone who values simplicity, openness, and wants to build their own online presence the #OpenSource way.
Full tutorial (~40 min): youtu.be/j-tXer7dIes
#Jekyll #GitHubPages
NumericalGuy | Education and Consumer Advocate retweeted
Very pleased that @NYtimes has highlighted the power of knowledge-building ELA and history curricula and the great work of @KnowledgeMatrs (I'm on their sci adv board).
Share link: nytimes.com/2025/05/10/us/ed…
NumericalGuy | Education and Consumer Advocate retweeted
From new @wsj article on the prevalence of AI cheating:
@DTWillingham on the value of writing to critical thinking & learning. (We could go on about this.)
And the inevitable: What if writing doesn’t matter and the real skill of the future is “the ability to use AI” well?
Sigh.
NumericalGuy | Education and Consumer Advocate retweeted
He deleted almost every app from his phone.
Then he wrote 4 bestsellers in 9 years.
Cal Newport's controversial take: Your phone is making you mediocre.
His science-backed system for getting your brain back:
NumericalGuy | Education and Consumer Advocate retweeted
There’s a setting you can change, but it’s definitely annoying.
NumericalGuy | Education and Consumer Advocate retweeted
Idk maybe.....
Sales and Use Tax
Corporate Income/Franchise Tax
Fuel Taxes (State Motor Fuel Tax, SCETS Tax, Local Fuel Taxes)
Tobacco Taxes (Cigarette Tax, Other Tobacco Products Tax, excluding cigars)
Alcoholic Beverage Taxes (Beer, Wine, Liquor)
Communications Services Tax (State and Local Components)
Documentary Stamp Tax (Real Estate Transfers, Promissory Notes, Mortgages)
Reemployment Tax (Unemployment Tax)
Tourist Development Tax (Short-Term Rental Tax)
Gross Receipts Tax on Utilities
Motor Vehicle License Taxes (Registration Fees, Initial Registration Fees)
Rental Car Surcharge
Solid Waste Fees/Taxes (Tire Fees, Landfill Disposal Fees)
Insurance Premium Tax
Pari-Mutuel Wagering Tax (Horse Racing, Jai-Alai, etc.)
Severance Taxes (Oil, Gas, Phosphate)
Local Option Sales Surtaxes (County Discretionary Sales Surtax)
Local Fuel Taxes (County-Specific Fuel Surtaxes)
Amusement Machine Tax (Arcade Games, Pool Tables, etc.)
Commercial Real Estate Lease Tax
Electricity Tax (Specific to Utility Bills)
Mobile Home Sales Tax (Reduced Rate for New Mobile Homes)
Documentary Surtax ( Specific Real Estate Transactions)
Public Service Tax (Local Utility Taxes, e.g., Electricity, Water, Gas)
Convention Development Tax (Local Option for Tourism in Some Areas)
Charter County Transit System Surtax (Local Transportation Surtaxes)
Small County Surtax (Local Sales Surtax in Small Counties)
Indigent Care Surtax (Local Health Care Funding in Some Counties)
School Capital Outlay Surtax (Local Education Funding)
Infrastructure Surtax (Local Option for Infrastructure Projects)
Hotel Tax (County-Specific Tourist Taxes on Lodging)
Vehicle Rental Tax (Additional Local Taxes on Car Rentals)
Boat Registration and Titling Fees
Driver’s License Fees
Business License Fees (Occupational Licenses, Local Permits)
Environmental Fees (e.g., Water Management District Fees, Pollution Control Fees)
Impact Fees (Local Development Fees for Infrastructure)
Fire Protection Fees (Local Fire District Charges)
Stormwater Utility Fees (Local Charges for Stormwater Management)
Special Assessment Fees (e.g., Road Improvement Districts, Lighting Districts)
Airport Passenger Facility Charges (Local Airport Fees)
Port Fees (e.g., Dockage, Wharfage Fees at State or Local Ports)
Hunting and Fishing License Fees
Park Entrance Fees (State and Local Parks)
Toll Road Fees (State and Local Toll Facilities)
Child Support Collection Fees (State-Administered Fees for Enforcement)
Marriage License Fees
Birth and Death Certificate Fees
Business Filing Fees (e.g., Corporate Registration, LLC Formation)
Professional License Fees (e.g., Medical, Legal, Construction Licenses)
Food and Beverage Tax (Local Option in Some Counties)
Utility Connection Fees (Local Charges for New Utility Services)
Franchise Fees (Local Charges to Utility Companies)
Cable Television Franchise Fees (Local Charges on Cable Providers)
Telecommunications Franchise Fees (Local Charges on Telecom Providers)
Solid Waste Collection Fees (Local Garbage Collection Charges)
Recycling Fees (Local Charges for Recycling Programs)
Hazardous Waste Disposal Fees
Animal Control Fees (e.g., Pet Licenses, Impound Fees)
Building Permit Fees (Local Construction Permits)
Zoning Fees (Local Land Use Permits)
Subdivision Fees (Local Development Review Fees)
The list does go on....
NumericalGuy | Education and Consumer Advocate retweeted
They are all on their phones. 🤣🤣🤣
📢ICYMI: Special Ed Lead Teachers engaged during PL day! We learned about Policies, Practices, and Procedures centered around confidentiality! @ShateenaLove @A_Dirden @tdmartn @apsupdate @ericalongatl @apssupt
NumericalGuy | Education and Consumer Advocate retweeted
Limiting the use of suspensions depressed reading and math scores, decreased GPAs, increased absences, and worsened teacher turnover
Who among us could have predicted this? Tell me who.
NumericalGuy | Education and Consumer Advocate retweeted
If you're curious to know more about the role of knowledge in learning and curriculum, download this free e-book, a collaborative effort by an international team of eight experts. link.springer.com/book/10.10…
NumericalGuy | Education and Consumer Advocate retweeted
New meta-analysis: "Early numeracy does not merely serve as a steppingstone with temporary effects on foundational mathematics; instead, it likely triggers a snowballing effect, cumulatively influencing mathematics development over time" psycnet.apa.org/record/2025-…
