Math and other resources for Chicago teachers

Most of the new resources I find are now being added to my diigo page. Click on one of the lists or tags to find specific kinds of links. Eventually I hope to move the links on this page to the diigo site, but I am not there yet. Previously, I was using my PortaPortal page of educational technology links for links, especially relating to the use of new technologies in the classroom.

   
Teaching math in Chicago
CPS Office of Standards Based Instruction CurriculumBy grade. Also includes links to other CPS and Illinois curriculum sites. See also CPS Math Standards on the CPS instructional intranet, although these may be old.
State of Illinois Math Learning StandardsThere is quite a bit here. Five general goal areas, with specifics for different grade levels. There are also rubrics and sample lesson plans.
Illinois Standards Achievement TestThe ISAT, used to measure school performance. Here is a link to the math area of the test. Also take a look at the ISAT Sample Books to get an idea of the kind of material on the tests. There are books for each grade level.
CPS Math and Science InitiativeA lot of "high-need" schools are using curricula from the CPS Math and Science Initiative. This part of the CPS site includes sections for elementary math and high school math. Lesson plans, professional development programs, assessments, and more. The two curricula being used in middle school are Math Thematics and Connected Math. The Math Thematics link is to the textbook publisher's site -- scroll down to the Math Thematics texts. Click on the appropriate grade text for online tutorials and more. There is also a CPS discussion list for the math and science initiative. CPS has a similar initiative for reading (the Chicago Reading Initiative)
Illinois Professional Teaching StandardsPDF file of the Illinois Professional Teaching Standards
Five-Step Lesson PlanA five-step lesson plan template for planning lessons (courtesy of ES)
Northwestern University Collaboratory Project Activity WizardWeb-based template for creating standards-linked lesson plans. See this page for information on setting up an account so lesson plans may be saved and shared.
Student-friendly ISAT RubricThis is a small version of the grades 5-6 math extended response rubric, 4-up, suitable for reproducing and putting on student desks. It only shows what they need to do to get a 4 on each of the three assessed areas.
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Middle school math endorsement
Middle Grades EndorsementsDetails on middle school endorsements, including a list of what endorsements are available.
Illinois Certification Testing SystemInformation on Illinois teacher certification tests, including the Basic Skills, Elementary Education and high school math tests.
Here are some links to options for additional coursework to fill out your endorsement requirements:
CLEP examsFor about $75, you can get credit by taking these exams. Math exams include College Math, College Algebra, Precalculus and Calculus.
Louisiana State University Independent and Distance LearningHas a wide range of math courses for under $400, excluding text. You can take nine months to complete a course. Exams must be taken using a proctor (e.g., at UIC Testing Services)
Adams State College Extended StudiesAlso has math courses for under $400 (excluding text). You can take a year to complete a course. Exams must be proctored.
Seminars for Endorsement of Science and Mathematics Educators (SESAME) Program at the University of ChicagoSeminars are held quarterly, and will provide the necessary coursework for the middle school math endorsement. I couldn't find pricing info, but the site does say that CPS will help with tuition.
DePaul University Master of Arts in Math EducationAlthough pricey, the courses in this program are attractive because (a) classes meet on 3 weekends a term, (b) CPS will assist with tuition (although I am not sure of the criteria), (c) you can work towards a Masters, and (d) if you are interested in teaching at the high school level, this will give you the necessary coursework.
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Chicago schools
Interactive Illinois Report CardSchool test results and other school reports. This is very helpful for supplementing the info from CPS (for example, it indicates if the school is on Academic Watch Status).
Illinois New Teacher Collaborative"The mission of the Illinois New Teacher Collaborative (INTC) is to coordinate a network of services and resources through a state-wide partnership of concerned stakeholders in order to attract and retain new teachers and enhance their ability to promote student learning." See this article, "Cultivating a crop of urban teachers" for a 4/06 article about the program in Catalyst Chicago magazine. There is a Chicago pilot program.
TEN: Teaching Excellence Network"A free online professional network for teachers across subject areas.". A project of the the Golden Apple Foundation. It has a heavy Illinois focus.
Catalyst ChicagoA magazine about Chicago schools (independent). It looks like all of their articles are online.
GreatSchools.net A site for information about schools. The Chicago elem schools I checked are in their database, and they have a way for parents to post comments, though there weren't many for the few schools I looked up.
ElementarySchools.orgtAnother site of information about elementary schools (nationwide). Emphasizes student:teacher ratio.
SchoolMatters Another school info site, this one an S&P service.
CPS Human Resources
Chicago Teachers Union 
Parents United for Responsible Education (PURE)A Chicago public school parent advocacy group. "PURE’s web site provides news, analysis, information and resources for parents, local school councils (the elected, parent-majority bodies in Chicago's public schools), and anyone else who is interested in improving public schools for all children."
   
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Blogs and chats
UnderstandingThis is a blog by a second-year math high-school teacher in an "urban public charter school" in the Bay Area. It's very good I think, and the author gets a fair amount of comments and helpful suggestions from other teachers. There are also good links to math resource sites.
Golden Apple Teacher Excellence NetworkBlogs, discussions, etc.
Middle School BlogsA listing on the MiddleWeb site of blogs by middle school teachers.
Let's Play MathI have found lots of good ideas for making math interesting and fun on this blog.
Teachers.NetThere are a lot of teacher resources here. The chat areas are active.
Technology and EducationThis is my personal blog on education and technology. Not updated so much now as I am no longer teaching.
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Social dimensions of math education
Teachers for Social JusticeChicago area educators working for equity and justice in our schools. The site includes a curriculum database. TSJ also does a Curriculum Fair in November.
The Algebra ProjectFocuses on math education for "communities of poor people and people of color." (from the website) The project has a "Transition Curriculum" for 7th grade ("helps students make the shift in their conceptual thinking from arithmetic to algebra"), and a High School Algebra and Geometry curriculum (which looks to be under development). The Trip Line curriculum is an example of this work (see above for links to what looks to be similar kinds of curricula).
Radical MathPer the site description, "Radical Math is a resource for educators interested in integrating issues of social and economic justice into their math classes and curriculum. On this website you will find links to access and download over 700 lesson plans, articles, charts, graphs, data sets, maps, books and websites to help you bring these issues into your classroom."
Education for Liberation NetworkThis site features links and resources for a variety of subjects for all grade levels.
RadicalMath Google GroupOccasional postings related to math and social justice.
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General teaching stuff
The New Teacher ProjectThe organization behind the Chicago/New York etc Teaching Fellows progam.
The New Teacher CenterAnother teacher induction support program, out of UC-Santa Cruz. The Chicago New Teacher Center, which supports several CPS Areas, is part of this organization. The CNTC uses David Brown's kid-friendly Becoming a Successful Urban Teacher as a key text in its mentoring program.
Teachers.NetThere are a lot of different teacher resources here, including a large, active chat area.
Alfie Kohn web siteAlfie Kohn has written a number of books and speaks frequently on education, especially standards and standardized testing (critically). Many articles are available here, as well as at least one .mp3 of a talk (or a lot of the talk anyway -- it ended abruptly)
Teaching Middle School in an Urban EnvironmentThis looks to be someone's homework, a proposed syllabus for a course on teaching in an urban middle school. It contains some good links and the exercises might be useful.
DonorsChoose.orgA way for teachers to solicit donations to assist with classroom projects. Per the website 7/15/07, the site had faciliated the donation of over $13 million, assisting over 600,000 students.
MiddleWeb"MiddleWeb provides a wealth of resources for schools, districts, educators, parents, and public school advocates working to raise achievement for all students in the middle grades." Originally supported by a grant, the site is now supported by Stenhouse Publishers.
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Teaching TipsSections include "Starting the year off right", "Grading", and "Testing".
Graphic organizersThis is a page from the Time for Kids web site that has PDFs of several different kinds of graphic organizers, downloadable and ready to use.
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Classroom management
Classroom management sitesLots of links to sites about classroom management.
Restorative justice Overview of use of Restorative Justice in the classroom/school
Two Useful Models for Implementing Restorative Justice Overview articles (short) on Restorative Justice
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Teaching math
This is a new section for sites or pages that specifically address teaching math. I may not have moved all of the appropriate links here though, so read on. For links on teaching math in Chicago (CMSI, ISBE, etc.), see Teaching math in Chicago above. Also see the general math links section below, as the some of those sites will include teaching info. The Blogs section also has discussions about teaching math. Also see the Lesson plans and worksheets section for help with specific topics.
 
National Mathematics Advisory Panel 2008 Final ReportYou can get the full report here. For the main points, look at the Fact Sheet.
National Council of Teachers of MathematicsThis is a link to the home page for NCTM. There is a lot at this site. Check out the lesson search page (by grade level and math area).
NCTM Tips for TeachersThis is an area of the NCTM site devoted to tips on teaching math.
The Centre for Innovation in Mathematics TeachingExtensive UK site, including tutorials.
Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators: MathematicsLots of links
Office for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education at Univ of Ill. Not sure of the grade level.
Henri Picciotto's Mathematics Education PageFound a recommendation on a blog.
Making Math MeaningfulJamie York's Making Math Meaningful: A Middle School Math Curriculum for Teachers and Parents, and associated workbooks for grades 6 - 8 are popular with Waldorf School teachers. The books aren't available through Amazon -- you need to go to the publisher's site.
The George Lucas Educational Foundation's Professional Development ModulesProject based learning from the Star Wars guy.
PBS Teachers Math
Math projectsProject-based learning
Annenberg Media learner.org Mathematics Teacher ResourcesVarious resources. Includes videos/DVDs for sale. Also see the Math in Daily Life section (high school and up).
MathVIDSVIDS stands for "Video Instruction Development Source". The site is an interactive site for teachers teaching math to "struggling learners". Teachers can view video of teachers using different strategies.
The Math Forum @ Drexel Math learning discussions
Teaching Statistics"A journal for teachers of students aged 9 to 19." -- from the UK.
Resources for Teaching and Learning about Probability and StatisticsSee links section
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General math resources
The math resources below are a jumble of curricula, general reference sites, tools and simulators, and pages like this of links to links. I have moved the lesson plan and worksheet site links to a new section below.
 
PlanetMath.org"PlanetMath is a virtual community which aims to help make mathematical knowledge more accessible. PlanetMath's content is created collaboratively: the main feature is the mathematics encyclopedia with entries written and reviewed by members."
Wolfram MathWorld"The web's most extensive math resource."
WikipediaWikipedia is for math too.
Connecting MathematicsFrom Cambridge University, the site provides explanations of math concepts and terms with various levels of explanation.
Math2.orgA general math info reference site, easy to use. The site is a good quick reference to formulas and identities. Includes a link to a Spanish-English math dictionary, math message board, and links to other sites.
Interactive Math DictionaryA dictionary of math terms, geared to the middle school level. The entries include examples, and in some cases, Sketchpad animations (though I problems loading them). The dictionary is a project of the Math Education Program at the University of Georgia.
Google math linksThere are links of this page to a wide range of math topics, from Algebra to Women (i.e., women in math). See, for example, Probability. The Education link connects to more than 850 pages as of this writing; of which almost 200 are Teaching Resources links.
The Mathematical Association of America Digital LibraryThere are a lot of links to resources for the classroom, as well as scholarly materials. See also the MAA Online website.
Mathematical GlossaryThis is a short, easy-to-understand glossary of basic math terms.
The Mathematical AtlasSubtitled "A gateway to modern mathematics," the site provides introductory descriptions of various areas of modern math plus links to additional sites with more information. Fairly high level stuff, but you get a good sense range of modern math. The atlas map of math topics indicates the academic interest in the topic based on the numbers of papers published about that topic over the past 20 years.
PurplemathNEW This site has different modules that explain different algebra concepts. The explanations are good.
Internet Scout ProjectMany of the math resource links on this page have been gleaned from the weekly Internet Scout Project's "The Scout Report". To subscribe, click here). This is the main Scout Project website. There is also a link to the Applied Math and Science Education Repository.
Math PortalLinks to a number of math resources, including clipart. Standards for lesson plans are linked to Florida standards. There are some good daily word problems here.
Mathematics for Economics: Enhancing Teaching and Learning"The ten METAL teaching and learning guides present innovative and interactive approaches to teaching mathematical concepts to economics students."
Whatcom Community College Online Math CenterThe link goes to a page of "Recommended Links". Here you can find links to free courses, help sites, math resources and more.
Mathematics WWW Virtual LibraryLots of links
Math ArchivesMore links
The Math Forum @ Drexel
Ask Dr. MathCool site
Textbooks in Mathematics"A list of links to useful mathematical textbooks available for free on the Internet. They are all legal and maintained by their authors or by the legitimate publisher."
Gizmo: Developmental MathWeb-based simulation modules to demonstrate and explore different math concepts using "gizmos" A 30-day free trial is available, and you can use the gizmos for up to five minutes a day at no charge, but extensive use requires a subscription, and the pricing is not available on the site. Uses Shockwave, will not work w/ Firefox on an Intel Mac.
Open University LearningSpaceMathematics and statistics units from the UK's Open University.
Online Resource: GeometryThis looks to be for junior college level, but...
College AlgebraOnline algebra tutorials.
The Calculus PageLinks to resources for both students and teachers/instructors.
Mathematical Quotations ServerA collection of quotations about mathematics, including a random quote server.
Math Open ReferenceThe Math Open Reference Project is in the process of creating a free online interactive math textbook. Right now it only covers geometry. The site includes printable classroom materials.
Mathematics Awareness MonthEach year some of the big organizations in the math world get together and declare a theme for "Mathematics Awareness Month". The 2008 theme is "Math and Voting". The site includes links to previous years' themes, including activities, a downloadable poster, etc.
Geometry Resources Grades 1 - 7A mix of links to geometry resources and some basic defitions.
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History of math
This is the beginning of a new section on the history of mathematics, as well as links to sites dealing with famous mathematicians. See also the general math links section above; many of those sites may also contain probability and statistics info and/or links.
 
The MacTutor History of Mathematics archiveBiographies, math in different cultures, timelines, "mathematicians of the day", a "famous curves index" and much more. From the School of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of St Andrews, Scotland
Biographies of Women MathematiciansExtensive site.
Association for Women in MathematicsIncludes a section of outstanding woemn mathematicians. .
Mathematicians of the African DiasporaThe link to the left goes to a page of links to information on black mathematicians. Or see also, on the same site, A Modern History of Blacks in Mathematics.
Contributions of African Americans to Math and ScienceA page of links.
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Probability and statistics
I'm starting to separate the math links into specific areas. I have a lot of links to probability and statistics sites, so this is the first section to split off. See also the general math links section above; many of those sites may also contain probability and statistics info and/or links.
 
Usable StatisticsThis site has some easy-to-understand descriptions of statistics concepts, plus self-paced lessons.
Probability and Statistics Teaching ResourcesFor older/college students
Probability: Lessons on Chance
Journal of Statistics EducationAlthough research-oriented, the site includes experiential type reports on teaching statistic (e.g., "A Middle School Design for Probabilty and Statistics") and also data for use in teaching statistics
Chance
Teaching Statistics"A journal for teachers of students aged 9 to 19." -- from the UK.
Resources for Teaching and Learning about Probability and StatisticsSee links section
Statistical Understanding Made Simple"You supply the data, we supply the tutorial." This is a free resource for building statistics tutorials. The site also includes a library of ready-made tutorials. Looks to be appropriate for upper grades or college-level students.
The 2008 Statistical AbstractThe 2008 Statistical Abstract is the official book of U.S. statistics, ranging from employment to births to education. Many of the tables are available for download in Excel format, making them useful as raw material for class projects.
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Lesson plan, worksheet, activity and rubric sites
These links go to collections of lesson plans and worksheets, though some of the sites in the general math links section above may also contain lesson plan and/or worksheet links.
 
Engaging Students via In-Class WorksheetsThis is an essay describing how worksheets can be used effectively in the classroom. The author includes links to some example worksheets, though they look to be undergrad level. The page is part of The Mathematical Association of America site.
  
These next three resources are multi-dimension, project-based, experience-oriented curriculum for high school math. I believe these are related, at least in spirit, to the work being done by the The Algebra Project (or at least that is how I came across them).
Trip Line MaterialPDF files of a high school algebra and geometry curriculum by Bob Moses and Ed Dubinksky.
Road Coloring WorksheetsPDF files of another high school algebra and geometry curriculum by Bob Moses and Greg Budzban.
Relay RacePDF files of a high school algebra curriculum by Greg Budzban.
 
Project SkyMathA set of middle school math lessons built around temperature. (The site is related to the National Center for Atmospheric Research.)
AAA MathFree math lessons, by grade. The site also sells a CD of math exercises.
NCTM LessonsA lesson plan search page, by grade level and standards area, from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
The Math Worksheet SiteA subscription site. There are some free worksheets available, as well as a preview option.
Teaching-Tools.comAnother subscription site for worksheets. This link is to the math worksheet area, but there are also worksheets for other subject areas. You can see the worksheets it generates without having a subscription, but the text has lines through it.
edHelper.comThis site has worksheets for various subjects and grade levels. The link is to the middle school math pages. It looks like there are additional materials available to subscribers.
ClassBrain.comThe site has materials for many subjects and age levels. As far as I can tell, it is free.
Lesson Plan CentralThis site has free lesson plans and worksheets.
Mrs. Glosser's Math GoodiesMore math lessons. You need to pay for the entire library of lessons, but there are some free teasers.
Noetic LearningA site for creating online worksheets (students work through them on the computer). A subscription site, but there are some free worksheets available via the site's Math Worksheet Creator page.
Rubrician.comA site of links to math rubrics. Several links are broken, but there are still some useful links.
Exemplars.com RubricsI found this via the Rubrician.com site. There are teacher and student versions of various rubrics (and Spanish-language rubrics too).
MyWeblets.ComFree math worksheets for kids. The site is especially good if you need drill-type worksheets to assess knowledge of basic math facts.
Fantasy Sports and MathematicsThe author has produced a series of teacher resources and student workbooks for using fantasy sports in teaching math. The series includes football, basketball, baseball and soccer. The exercises are designed in such a way that they will work with girls as well as boys.
Baseball MathDifferent ways to incorporate baseball into teaching math, including a dice game.
Internet4ClassroomsExtensive portal for math-related activities, lesson plans, worksheets and more.
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Online math games and quizzes
This is a new category for sites that students can go to to build math skills.
 
Math Thematics Book 1An online tutorial and exercise site for the Math Thematics text. The link goes to the Book 1 area, here are links to Book 2 and Book 3.
Marilyn Western's Stuff Ya Gotta TryLinks to a number of interactive math sites, plus links for other subjects as well.
ThatQuizOnline drills on many different math topcs.
Math Is FunA wide variety of topics.
SpaceTime ArcadeFree math and puzzle games.
Quia WebThere are a lot of free math activities here. If you buy a subscription to the site, you can set up assignments and activities for your class.
BraingleBrain teaser, riddles, etc.
Figure This! Math Challenges for FamiliesNew! Math activities and puzzles that can be done at home as a family activity.
Wicked Math GamesNew! From New Zealand (you can view the site in Maori or English), several different activities to reinforce math facts.
Cool Math SitesA page of links to various math sites; puzzle and game sites top the list.
Links for my classThis is a page I made for students in my class so I could tell them one place to go for "approved" sites to use during class time.
NY State Regents Exam Prep Center (Math)A site to help students prepare for the New York state regents exam.
Sample ISAT TestsOnline versions of the downloadable sample tests.
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Math and art
M. C. Escher: The Official WebsiteGreat images for tessellations, patterns, transformations, etc.
Tessellations.orgGood site for different techniques for creating tessellations.
Origami TessellationsA wonderful collection of oriental tessellations from Owen Jones's 1853 The Grammar of Ornament. The images are available as separate .jpg files.
Mathematics and the ArtsThis is a link to the April, 2007 issue of Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School devoted to math and art, teaching math through art and vice versa. check out one of my favorites, "Masterpieces to Mathematics", using Ellsworth Kelly-type grids to teach fractions and decimals, which appeared in the August, 2007 issue of the journal. An NCTM membership or subscription unfortunately is required to see the articles.
 
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Problem-of-the-day and brain teasers
 
Brain TeasersBrain teaser type problems, by grade level.
BraingleBrain teaser, riddles, etc.
Cool Math SitesA page of links to various math sites; puzzle and game sites top the list.
MAA Minute MathMath starter problems from MAA.
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Math tools and applications
Flash CardsThis is a download site for an app that generates flash cards (for drills using the computer).
Cut the KnotThe site licenses java applets that then be included on a teacher's web page. The site also includes links, definitions, and other resources.
xyAlgebraA collection of free downloadable applications for students and instructors to assist in teaching algebra. Might be geared to upper (hish school) grades.
MathRealmThe site sells math-related software and other math support stuff. There are some free worksheets available on the site.
Functions GrapherWeb-based app for graphing two functions, and tracing values along either of the functions. Uses Flash; part of the Mathematics Association of America Digital Library collection.
PentominoesInfo on pentominoes, the geometic pieces featured in Blue Baillet's books Chasing Vermeer and The Wright 3, plus links to various puzzle sites. On another pentominoes site there is a java-based pentominoes puzzle to give you a flavor of how to use them.
Geometry Construction ReferenceA collection of geometric constructions. See also Whistler Alley Mathematics, the parent site. The site owner is fond of Geometer's Sketchpad, and as I play around with it, I am becoming foond of it as well. The Whistler site includes some Sketchpad files, links to resources, and some interesting problems.
The Geometer's JunkyardI found this link on the Whistler Alley site (see above). Geometry links be found here.
ConstructionsThis is a good site for geometric constructions, with animations that show steps, as well as printable worksheets.
Square Dots Graph Paper PDF GeneratorThis is a pretty cool tool for creating PDF files of graph paper. Very handy.
Eric's Slide Rule SiteThis may sound hopelessly old-school. Yes, calculators killed the slide rule, but I think there is potential in using slide rules to teach different math concepts in a concrete way. This site is a good introduction to slide rules -- how they work, how to use them, the standard codes for slide rule scales, where to get slide rules, etc. You can also buy slide rules on EBay or for quantities (as well as single rules), The Slide Rule Universe.
National Library of Virtual ManipulativesA great collection on online manipulatives to teach math concepts. There looks to be even more at a new (upgraded?) site they have set up. The site is maintained out of Utah State University. Utah teachers can register for additional features, but the resources are available to all free of charge from what I can tell. The expanded site includes lesson plans, emodules and activities.
   
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Writing and math
Making Thinking Visible with Math JournalsTitled "Talking, Writing, and Reasoning: Making Thinking Visible with Math Journals", this is a tree-lesson unit to get students started with math journals. Although the site says it's for grades 2-5, I think it might work with older students new to math journaling.
Writing to Learn MathThis entry from the Let's Play Math blog has links to several useful resources (including the one just above) on using math journals.
Using Writing In MathematicsPer the opening paragraph: "This strand provides a developmental model for incorporating writing into a math class. The strand includes specific suggestions for managing journals, developing prompts for writing, and providing students with feedback on their writing. In addition, the site includes two sample lessons for introducing students to important ideas related to writing about their mathematical thinking."
Science News for KidsThis site has kid-friendly articles on science, including math. You can use the articles to help students work on science/math reading comprehension.
   
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Last updated 12/04/2012