Saturday, September 13, 2008

Annenberg Produces Multimedia Mathematics Series

I am always impressed by the products that Annenberg Media produces. Mathematics Illuminated (http://www.learner.org/channel/courses/mathilluminated/) is no exception.

Mathematics Illuminated is an interesting series about key themes in mathematics. The content is geared for adults, including high school teachers. As I examined the series, I also found sections that can be used effectively by middle school teachers. I would have loved to have this series available when I was teaching mathematics! The goals for those participating in the course are that they:
  • "recognize the fundamental role of mathematics in all intellectual and artistic pursuits"
  • "appreciate that mathematics can help us illuminate, define, and predict the world around us"
  • "develop a better understanding of the nature of mathematics"
Units in the series include primes, combinatorics, infinity, topology, symmetry, geometry, game theory, networks, and chaos. Learning is accomplished with videos, online textbooks, interactive web activities, and group and individual activities. The videos provide historical background for the concepts, interviews with experts, animations that explain the concepts, and real-world applications of the concepts. Mathematicians of both the past and the present are included in the course materials. And national and local standards in mathematics are referenced.

Some of the additional resources include video transcripts, a glossary, and a timeline of mathematical concepts. Components in the series may be used individually or as part of the entire course. The facilitator and participant guides are based on an inquiry-based model in which participants become active explorers. The course materials may be downloaded as PDF files.

If you teach middle school or high school mathematics or just find mathematics to be fascinating, you definitely want to examine Mathematics Illuminated. And when you visit, be sure to check out the interactive web activities!

Photo: http://flickr.com/photos/chrisbrenschmidt/733753262/
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en

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