This course is a tour of technologies that are particularly well-suited for math instruction. The emphasis is on exploring how hardware and software can be used efficiently to support procedural and conceptual understanding of middle and high school math. View the Syllabus (modified 3/2/11).
Note on Semester Grades: Due to some technical problems, grades for the completed course are not available on this website. If you’d like to see your scores and comments in the gradebook, just shoot me an email.
Recent Content
InstaCalc – a different kind of calculator
Apr13
What is Instacalc? Instacalc is a really interesting web-based calculator that blends some of the functions of a website like Wolfram Alpha with the "storing" capabilities of graphing calculators and spreadsheets. I think it has the potential to help students understand the meaning of variables in the computer world. Some Features storing numbers as variables…
A Way to Curve Grades with a Spreadsheet
Mar30
The typical way of curving grades in school (adding points to everyone's grade) has some serious drawbacks. With those in mind, I've created a little spreadsheet that teachers might consider as an alternative way to curve grades. The Formula The class of curves is given by $$y=100^{1-p}x^{p}$$ The number $p$ determines the bend of the…
Modeling Carbon Dioxide Data
Mar30
Problem: The Earth System Research Laboratory, a division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has measured the daily levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere above Mauno Lao, Hawaii since 1959. Thus, the data we’ll look at represents the average (mean) annual recorded levels over an almost 50-year period. What are some…
Spreadsheet of U.S. Presidents
Mar30
There are loads of great data sets available online for math teachers that want to include spreadsheets in their courses. To help with someone's class project, I pulled together a little (slightly incomplete) spreadsheet of data on most of the U.S. Presidents. U.S. Presidents Spreadsheet Sample Question Are the U.S. Presidents' birth months different from…
All Recent Posts
- Final Exam for Math 5332 - Spring 2011
- Weeks 12/13 Homework - Math 5332
- InstaCalc - a different kind of calculator
- A Way to Curve Grades with a Spreadsheet
- Week 11 Homework - Math 5332
- Modeling Carbon Dioxide Data
- Spreadsheet of U.S. Presidents
- Week 10 Homework - Math 5332
- Radiation in Japan
- Week 9 Homework - Math 5332
Just for Fun
A cool “Widget” from the Wolfram Alpha website – has an interesting connection to classic mathematics problems.
I can’t get the video to show! This does not forebode my ability to use technology.
Thanks for the comment, and I’m sure it’s my fault Are you at school? The video is from youtube, and some firewalls block youtube. Or, maybe the problem is with my “Show Video” link… When you click Show Video, does the link change to Hide Video? (it’s supposed to)
By the way, great use of the word “forebode”! Looks like Jeanne’s got the vocabulary to keep this site classy.
I got the video to work, therefore, Jeanne probably does have a firewall problem. The video is a good one, funny, yet includes some math.
I thought the syllabus might be a little too ambitious. Almost every week we have a new content to learn and some of us might not learn that quick. How about the idea of focusing on a few very hot topics?
I see your point Amy about depth vs. breadth, but I think it’s a matter of goals. The Math 5332 class is designed more as a survey of using various technologies in math instruction than as a “how to” class. The weekly sessions will be introductions, and you’ll get a chance to develop deeper skills in a couple technologies of your choice through the projects. Which few hot topics would you like to learn more about?
Well, I am really sad to see all of the late nights of study, research, and homework to come to an end. However, I feel more technically equipped today than when this technology course began. It has been an enriching experience for me. THANK YOU DR. C.