What would YOU want from a Multimedia Algebra CD-ROM?

Gideon Weinstein (gweinste@INDIANA.EDU)
Mon, 3 Jun 1996 23:33:15 -0500

On Tue, 28 May 1996, Sam Evers <severs@SA.UA.EDU>, of the University of
Alabama, wrote to the listserv about the software design group called
Multimedia Math that he belongs to. I visited their web site
(http://www.sa.ua.edu/m3/m3func.htm) and was pleasantly surprised by the
product descriptions.... They seemed highly interactive, visually
stimulating, sensibly paced, etc. They included everything _I_ would want
from a Multimedia Algebra CD-ROM. My question to you, is "What would YOU
want from a Multimedia Algebra CD-ROM?"

I've had limited hands-on experience with technology in math, and I've
never used it in my own teaching, so I'm afraid I'm probably a bit naive
and idealistic about what multimedia can do for math education, so I'd
like to hear the thoughts and feelings of others. I'm also involved in a
project to design a CD-ROM that would be a "Multimedia Course-in-a-box,"
made to replace classroom instruction in Introductory Algebra, so I'm
seeking your advice to make sure the design reflects more than just my own
personal biases and quirks.

If you want a better idea of my (possibly naive and idealistic) vision
for what technology might soon be able to do for mathematics education,
please read a story I wrote and posted to my web site,
http://ezinfo.ucs.indiana.edu/~gweinste/hyperstart.html

Gideon L. Weinstein
gweinste@indiana.edu
Mathematics Education doctoral student
Math Study Skills instructor
Indiana University Bloomington