Relevant Joint Meetings Minicourse

[kcrisman]

Some people on this list will be interested in the following workshop at the Joint Meetings.  I freely admit I have a vested interest in it, but it's all about open source and open texts and Sage enabling, so it's certainly appropriate here!  One note: MathBook XML is now called PreTeXt, see http://mathbook.pugetsound.edu

Minicourse #11. Authoring Integrated Online Textbooks with MathBook XML, presented by Karl-Dieter Crisman, Gordon College and Mitchel T. Keller, Washington and Lee University; Part A, Thursday, 1:00–3:00 pm, and Part B, Saturday, 1:00–3:00 pm. In this minicourse participants will learn how to effectively author online textbooks with the AIM-sponsored MathBook XML (MBX, mathbook.pugetsound.edu/), as well as to begin creating their materials such as lab manuals or formal course notes with this tool. The idea is to harness the power of embedded online interaction, including WeBWorK problems, Sage computational cells, and extensive hyperlinking to have online (and print) texts in subjects from Calculus to Abstract Algebra. After learning the basics, participants will try their hands at creating a small supplement to one of their own classes using MBX, experiencing the “write once, read anywhere” philosophy that creates output in print, pdf, web pages, and computational notebooks. In both cases, the presenters’ own texts (one in discrete math, one in number theory) will be used as case studies of how to create a project like this or to convert an existing LaTeX or html project. No previous experience with any of these tools is necessary; you should be ready to try a few necessary command line tools. You will need to bring a wireless-enabled laptop, and will receive instructions regarding software in pre-workshop correspondence.