Math Design: the what and the why of it October 1 , 2002

Why do we need to design mathematics? Because currently, most onscreen mathematics is not designed, or at least not very well, and it shows. Allow me to elaborate ...

Animating Algebra November 5, 2002

Educational television can sometimes educate its viewers in directions not originally intended or even foreseen. For me, an educator interested in the design of onscreen mathematics, the real learning began while reflecting on an animated segment of some now otherwise forgotten educational program ...

Pythagorgrams November 18, 2002; Addendum November 26, 2002

Pythagorgrams is a simple tangram-type learning widget to help students understand Pythagoras' theorem. I began it as a design exercise, but I like the way it turned out well enough to spread it around, so here it is. ...

Invert and Multiply: the DIM Calculator January 9, 2003; Addendum February 3, 2002

The DIM 2003 Calculator is an interactive widget to help students learn about dividing fractions. The intent is first to help them understand why "invert and multiply" works (through a "missing factor" approach), and then to provide opportunity for practice/consolidation. A prerequisite for using this widget is a clear understanding of fraction multiplication, including how to cancel factors before multiplication.

Linear Algebra Widgets – a Sampler January 15, 2004

A sample of the linear algebra widgets I've been developing for a course in elementary linear algebra, and some notes on their design.