OPEN LETTER TO LIST MEMBERS:
In response to Gary Helmer's comment. I will use this as an
opportunity to bring the membership up to date on developments
with regard to MATHEDCC.
Although MATHEDCC started out with the goal of serving as a
discussion group for the TiME committee of AMATYC, and therefore
originally intended to deal primarily with technology related
issues it quickly became apparent that there was a need for a general
discussion group for all issues related to teaching math at two-year
colleges.
MATHEDCC became, de facto, that group. At our annual TiME meetings
at the AMATYC annual conference it was decided by the committee to
expand the scope of the list to cover any topics of interest to the
two-year college math community. I offered to rewrite the introductory
greeting and to create a FAQ file to make potential list subscribers
aware of this change of focus. I have been remiss in not getting around
to it and I apologise to those of you who have been unaware of this
decision. At the Long Beach meetings in a couple of weeks the AMATYC
Board will consider the TiME committee's motion to adopt MATHEDCC as the
official discussion group of AMATYC. If this proposal passes I (or
someone else) will prepare a new introductory statement to give new
subscribers a more appropriate statement about the goals of the list.
We will also discuss ways to make the group more "professional" e.g,
by setting up a FTP site for archives, creating a subscription
capability on the AMATYC home page etc.
Gary's comments raise an important issue. Now that MATHEDCC has ceased
to play the role for which it was originally intended, should the TiME
committee consider creating a new list -- TECHEDCC ?? -- to fill that
gap?
I invite all of you who are attending the AMATYC conference at Long
Beach to come to the TiME committee meetings to discuss these and other
issues.
Brian
________________________________________________________________________
Brian E. Smith
Dept of Mathematics TEL: 514-931-8731 Ext 1713
Dawson College FAX: 514-931-3567
3040 Sherbrooke St. W. EMAIL: (1) inbs@musicb.mcgill.ca
Montreal, QC, Canada H3Z 1A4 (2)besmith@dawsoncollege.qc.ca
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I would rather lose in a cause that will someday win, than win in
a cause that will someday lose -- Woodrow Wilson
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