Use a Blog to Help Teach Your Math Class (Part 2)

So you have created your first post and are thinking about how you might use a blog in your class. What is possible?

First of all, let’s get something straight. A blog is simply a way of publishing information on the Internet. Using a platform like WordPress, you can publish an entire website that is attractive and useful to your users. This might not be what you think when you hear the word “blog”. The reason for this is that blogs are often use as a reflective tool to publish the author’s thoughts and ideas. There are thousands of blogs online discussing almost every topic imaginable.

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Use a Blog to Help Teach Your Math Class (Part 1)

Before I tell you about how you might use a blog in the classroom, let’s look at one of the easiest ways you can put your toe into the warm blog waters. There are several blog platforms available. Some require a web hosting plan, but two of the most popular do not and are free.

My personal favorite is WordPress. It offers a free beginners website that allows you to try out many of its features. If you desire more features, you can purchase a web hosting plan and install WordPress on that host. On most hosting plans, installing WordPress software is free . A WordPress installation on your own hosting service adds flexibility and allows you to use a wide array of tools to customize how your blog looks.

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Regression Using Google Sheets

Like other spreadsheets, Google Sheets may be used to find a regression model for data. Following a few simple steps, we can graph a set of data in a scatter plot and find the corresponding model.

Suppose we have the demand data show in the table below.

sheets_reg_15

To find a linear model for the Average Price per Gallon as a function of the Weekly Demand, we need to make a scatter plot of this data and add the linear regression model to it. Continue reading “Regression Using Google Sheets”

Sony's "The Interview" Math Problem

In December of 2014, Sony released the movie The Interview online after threats to theaters cancelled the debut in theaters. As originally reported in Wall Street Journal, the sales figures reported in January contained an interesting math problem appropriate for algebra students.

The following January, Sony reported sales of $31 million from the sales and rentals of The Interview. They sold the movies online for $15 and rented through various sites for $6. If there were 4.3 million transactions, how many of the transaction were sales of the movie and how many of the transactions were rentals?

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What is a Blog Good For? Just About Everything!

blog_1_smOver the last 9 weeks I have been posting writing on a variety of subjects. These writings are part of Yavapai College’s 9x9x25 Challenge. What is the Challenge? As the father of the Challenge, Todd Conway, writes:

The Challenge is about writing as a reflective practice in teaching. The Challenge is about sharing your experiences as an educator, discovering new ideas about teaching and learning, creating a deeper sense of community between faculty at Yavapai College. The Challenge is also about learning what the internet is capable of and how it can be used in academic environments.

A blog is the natural vehicle for writing. It is a simple content management system that is easy to use. Whether you use a WordPress.com, blogster.com, blogspot.com, or other blogging platform, it is easy to post text, music, pictures, video or practically any other type of content.

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