Abstract: "Why do people contribute content to communities of question-
answering, such as Yahoo!Answers? We investigated this
issue on MathOverflow, a site dedicated to research-level
mathematics, in which users ask and answer questions. Math-
Overflow is the first in a growing number of specialized Q&A
sites using the Stack Exchange platform for scientific collab-
oration. In this study we combine responses to a survey with
collected data on posting behavior on the site. User behavior
suggests that building reputation is an important incentive,
even though users do not report this in the survey. Level of
expertise affects users' reported motivation to help others,
but does not affect the importance of reputation building.
We discuss the implications for the design of communities
to target and encourage more contributions."
(Access to full text requires subscription or purchase.) First volume in a new series, Mathematics Education in the Digital Age, features chapters on collaborative learning and new technologies, abstracts available.
From the abstract: "ew innovations by math-
ematicians themselves are starting to harness the power of
social computation to create new modes of mathematical
production. We study the effectiveness of one such system,
and make proposals for enhancement, drawing on AI and
computer based mathematics. We analyse the content of a
sample of questions and responses in the community ques-
tion answering system for research mathematicians,
math-
overflow
. We find that
mathoverflow
is very effective, with
90% of our sample of questions answered completely or in
part. A typical response is an informal dialogue, allowing
error and speculation, rather than rigorous mathematical
argument: 37% of our sample discussions acknowledged er-
ror. Responses typically present information known to the
respondent, and readily checked by other users: thus the
effectiveness of
mathoverflow
comes from information shar-
ing. We conclude that extending and the power and reach of
mathoverflow
through a combination of people and machines
raises new challenges for artificial intelligence and compu
ta-
tional mathematics, in particular how to handle error, anal
-
ogy and informal reasoning."
From the abstract: "is research develops around a technological intervention intended to transform
a peer produced reference resource into a peer produced learning environment. An
early Web 2.0 community for mathematics, PlanetMath.org, will henceforth become a
mathematical practicum, and a laboratory for learning science."
from the abstract: "Mathematics is now at a remarkable
in exion point, with new technology radically extending the power and limits of individuals. Crowd-
sourcing pulls together diverse experts to solve problems; symbolic computation tackles huge routine
calculations; and computers check proofs too long and complicated for humans to comprehend.
The
Study of Mathematical Practice
is an emerging interdisciplinary eld which draws on philoso-
phy and social science to understand how mathematics is produced. Online mathematical activity
provides a novel and rich source of data for empirical investigation of mathematical practice - for
example the community question-answering system
mathover ow
contains around 40,000 mathe-
matical conversations, and
polymath
collaborations provide transcripts of the process of discovering
proofs. Our preliminary investigations have demonstrated the importance of \soft" aspects such as
analogy and creativity, alongside deduction and proof, in the production of mathematics, and have
given us new ways to think about the roles of people and machines in creating new mathematical
knowledge. We discuss further investigation of these resources and what it might reveal.
Crowdsourced mathematical activity is an example of a \social machine", a new paradigm, identi-
ed by Berners-Lee, for viewing a combination of people and computers as a single problem-solving
entity, and the subject of major international research endeavours. We outline a future research
agenda for mathematics social machines, a combination of people, computers, and mathematical
archives to create and apply mathematics, with the potential to change the way people do mathe-
matics, and to transform the reach, pace, and impact of mathematics research."
"To make the nightly math problem as common as the bedtime story." Features an email list for nightly math problems as well as a book of problems and riddles.
Abstract: "This study examined the benefits and challenges associated with implementing
RtI [Response to Intervention] in the area of math
ematics in an elementary and a middle school in a rural
district in the northeastern United States. We sought to document the ways in
which two schools approached implementation of RtI and to explore the issues
they encountered with respect to instruction
, intervention, and assessment. Five
themes were identified that described implementation of the RtI framework:
Shifting roles and changing structures, increasing opportunities for collaboration
and communication, inc
reasing
instruction
al
an
d assessment su
pport for
students
who struggle in math, increasing knowledge of
support strategies for
learners who
struggle with math, and "spreading the word" and enhancing the use of the model.
The results of this study suggest that the RtI model has potential to impr
ove how
math instruction is approached in elementary and middle schools. "
abstract: "A large number of studies carried out on pupils aged 8-14 have shown
that teachable agent (TA) based games are beneficial for learning. The present pi-
oneering study aimed to initiate research looking at whether TA based games can
be used as far down as preschool age. Around the age of four, theory of mind
(ToM) is under development and it is not unlikely that a fully developed ToM is
necessary to benefit from a TA's socially engaging characteristics. 10 preschool
children participated in an experiment of playing a mathematics game. The partic-
ipants playing a TA-version of the game engaged socially with the TA and were
not disturbed by his presence. Thus, this study unveil exciting possibilities for
further research of the hypothesised educational benefits in store for preschoolers
with regard to play-and-learn games employing TAs."
Subtitled "A Place for Elegant Solutions." From the author's description: "This blog is a presentation of the interesting solutions I come across, and an exploration of the deeper mathematical ideas therein. Most often this means exploring the mathematical structure of a problem to lubricate the cogs of algorithm design. In seldom cases, this involves using programs to reason about mathematical theory."
Abstract:
This research paper has been designed to develop an online tutoring system for pre
-
K to middle
school Math students. The research methodology applied in this study has used both qualitative and
quantitative research methods in terms of external and internal Web or software metrics to obtain the
usable parameters to design an effective tutoring system to learn Math.
Today online hypermedia
applications are increasingly becoming more feature rich,
important and also the most popular means for
communication among school students for e
-
learning. This paper is divided into four parts: part 'I' presents
the introduction of
Kumon
based after school education; part 'II'
describes the
research
proposal
to
identify measures, model, and methodology to develop the Web
-
based online learning system for Pre
-
K to
middle school math students
; part 'III' elaborates the role of using static analysis, dynamic, and
comparative analysis
that can be applied to check the
characteristics and authenticity of data obtained for
each student separately; and finally part 'IV' investigates the
behaviour of online tutoring system
to find the
failure points and to calculate reliability aspects using
Web page trace algorithms and We
b page
replacement policies.
In this paper, an attempt has been made to systematically explain the state of the art
and their practices to design, analyze, and
test the functionality of
online learning systems for pre
-
K to
middle school Math students