Case Study: Using Wikieducator
kirby urner
Wikieducator, thinking this might be interesting to
others.
A lot of the details are about local politics so I'm not
expecting my circumstances to match those of
others in every particular, naturally.
About a year ago today, I attended a by invitation
work shop hosted by Chris Brooks, then with
Software Association of Oregon, about planning
for a new kind of math class to be offered at the
high school level in our state. Our state legislature
already had some guidelines, regarding how many
years of mathematics classes are required for
high school graduation (answer: 3). We looked
at some guidelines regarding what was called
"discrete mathematics" at the high school level.
That's a course you would more likely find in a
college, however much of the material is of
special interest to future computer science majors
or other technologists, perhaps even medical
doctors or bioinformatics specialists.
The thinking was (and still is) that the royal road
through calculus need not be the one and only
"turn on" to math and science, engineering or
whatever. Jump over to discrete math (or some
call it digital math, others computational thinking)
and we will show you some interesting ropes (an
idiom -- means we will provide some useful skills
and insights).
What is Digital Math?
Probably a leading characteristic or defining
hallmark of a discrete mathematics class is some
programming is involved, meaning there's a computer
language in the picture and a need to weave that
in with whatever math topics. This is not a new
idea and we've seen prototypes from APL and
ISETL through Squeak and Scratch, with many
experiments in between (some ongoing). My
current favorite approach is the Python computer
language, although I also had a language called
J installed, for this one week class, approximately
9.5 hours, just pilot tested at Reed College in
Portland, Oregon under the auspices of Saturday
Academy.
The class that I taught was called Martian Math,
and this is actually but one of four modules in a
broader curriculum that I detail (for other teachers)
on Wikieducator. Another module is Neolithic Math
and my associate and fellow Linus Pauling House
member handled that curriculum. We did not have
staffing for the remaining two: Supermarket Math
and Casino Math (the latter being games of chance
mixed with statistics and probability). Saturday
Academy and the Oregon Curriculum Network are
distinct entities so for the former's summer camp
to work, it didn't matter at all that OCN wasn't
prototyping all four modules.
Historical Background
The Linus Pauling House is a local institution, a
group that meets and organizes events in the historic
boyhood home of a famous Oregon native who won
both the Nobel prize for Chemistry and for Peace.
He is the only recipient of two unshared prizes on
record. He and Ava were activists, and some of his
students, such as the late Doug Strain, went to
extra lengths to have their teacher memorialized.
Hence this house was restored as a part of a three
building campus plus parking lot. Plans to acquire
the entire city block are on hold -- every organization
needs to aspire to some next higher level I suppose.
Doug Strain was the founder of Electro Scientific
Industries, one of the core businesses of the so-called
Silicon Forest, others being Tektronix and HP. Some
define this Forest to stretch far enough north to encompass
Microsoft. It's just local mythology, a manifestation of
a part of Oregon trying to compete with San Jose and
its Silicon Valley. Both regions attract skilled people
so it's not like "competition" is all that necessary, more
we don't want visitors to be confused and to ask where
the Golden Gate Bridge might be -- not in this neighborhood,
about 11 hours by freeway, due south, over mountains.
Content Delivery and Wikieducator
Here is a link to the Martian Math web site, from the
course just completed, followed by a link to my
Heuristics for Teachers, where these components
get more overview.
http://www.4dsolutions.net/satacad/martianmath/toc.html
http://www.4dsolutions.net/satacad/martianmath/readme.html
(links to Wikieducator from "The idea of Martian Math..."
The Neolithic Math course involved much use of the
pendulum (also a plumb bob) and sundials, but was
even more focused on a unit radius R, and the
geometry one could derive from just an R length,
some string, some chalk (basically compass and
ruler, with some string for a compass).
I don't think my Wikieducator write-up gives a complete
enough picture. But then one cannot assume that Wiki
materials necessarily substitute for an actual hands
on workshop. Different media go to different purposes.
I am thankful that Wikieducator has provided such a
free and open platform for the placement of unrestricted
materials, suitable for adaptation to local circumstances.
Kirby Urner
Wayne Mackintosh
I am thankful that Wikieducator has provided such a
free and open platform for the placement of unrestricted
materials, suitable for adaptation to local circumstances.
Thanks for taking the initiative and time to write this up and share with the WE family.
This is a great story at multiple levels. It documents innovative pedagogy (e.g. "Martian Math"), it is cross disciplinary in the sense that discrete mathematics incorporates programming, and the nature of WikiEducator's open platform facilitates an interesting and productive mix of technologies -- that is the freedom to innovate for the benefit of society.
If you're game -- I'd been keen to work on an interview style case study where you can share your thoughts and ideas with the WikiEducator family. WE could extend this to other prominent WE examples to inspire newbies and experienced WikiEducator's alike.
The open model of self organisation continues to fuel my addiction to WikiEducator -- its stories like these which unleash our imagination in terms of what is possible with OER approaches. Its just not possible to do this in closed environments.
What other case study interviews should we feature in WikiEducator?
Cheers
Wayne
Director OER Foundation: www.oerfoundation.org
Director, International Centre for Open Education,
Otago Polytechnic, New Zealand.
Founder and Community Council Member, Wikieducator, www.wikieducator.org
Mobile +64 21 2436 380
User Page: http://wikieducator.org/User:Mackiwg
Skype: WGMNZ1
Twitter: OERFoundation, Mackiwg
Kim
Thanks Kirby for sharing your experiences.
It is interesting how the freedom to innovate, collaborate and share
with free software pemeates up to the level of knowledge. With this in
mind, I have added a link to your case study here:
http://wikieducator.org/Free_Software_Case_Studies/Case_Studies#Personal_Experiences
Wayne> What other case study interviews should we feature in
WikiEducator?
I think it would be useful to share organisational/institutional case
studies through the experiences of the individuals involved. The
interviews could cover the challenges for the institution (there is
usually some change management involved) and the individual (e.g.
initial championship/advocacy) and benefits to both (e.g. peer
production efficiency and institutional impact).
Kim
kirby urner
Python and VPython are free and open source, yes. Looking
chip-to-cloud, you may encounter proprietary layers e.g. both the
aforementioned run atop Apple and Microsoft as well as Linux. Not
sure about VPython on FreeBSD -- not looking good.
The Digital Math of which Martian Math is a part is on Wikieducator
for the express purpose of encouraging teachers to freely adapt this
material to their own needs and circumstances, free of charge or
royalty payments. That's a trend in liberal arts, a way to defend
important freedoms.
Kirby
PS: since last posting I have another write-up at Math Forum (mentions
Wikieducator):
http://www.mathforum.org/kb/thread.jspa?threadID=2102469&tstart=0
I've also added a more technical Notes for Teachers explaining some of
the more arcane ins and outs of Martian Math:
http://www.4dsolutions.net/satacad/martianmath/teacher_notes.html
(this material is not on Wikieducator, is adapted for local use,
though again, other teachers are in the process of relaying some of
the same info)
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