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Welcome to JOMA - JOMA's Projected Content

Author(s): 
David A. Smith

We will publish, among other things,

  • innovative, class-tested, web-based learning materials,

  • articles on design and use of online learning materials,

  • research articles on student learning via online materials and other technology-rich environments,

  • surveys of existing online materials, and

  • a regular section devoted to "mathlets," small, self-contained, single-purpose dynamic learning environments.

This list is almost certainly not complete. As scholarship related to our mission evolves, we will undoubtedly add categories we haven't thought about yet. In addition to our Articles and Mathlets sections, this issue has a Developer's Page. Future issues will have a Materials section (for modules and other materials that don't fit the Mathlets definition), and, as the need arises, we will probably have a Teacher's Page and a Student's Page as well.

Some issues of JOMA will have a "focus" (as this one is focused on calculus mathlets) -- for example, we will have issues focused on particular collections of materials, with outstanding examples of the materials appearing in JOMA and the rest in MathDL. The same issues might have articles from users about integrating the materials into courses, from researchers about how students learn from the materials, and from developers about selected mathlets. Other issues may focus on particular advances in technology, such as implementation of MathML in a wide range of instructional systems and browsers.

Here are some topics and categories of articles we expect to have in future issues, in addition to those already mentioned:

  • Videoconferencing in the classroom

  • Specific outstanding examples of online courses

  • Distance learning environments by and for Native Americans

  • Commercial products for learning, such as LiveMath, the MathSoft Learning Site, and IBM's techexplorer

  • Visualization in linear algebra

  • Qualitative studies of students working through misconceptions, including videoclips

  • Historical articles about pre-Internet visionaries, such as J. C. R. Licklider

  • Math-based card tricks and other recreations, with video clips of shuffling techniques

  • Articles about special sites, such as Francis Su's Mudd Math Fun Facts and Alexander Bogomolny's Interactive Mathematics Miscellany and Puzzles

  • Using MathML content markup to prepare differential equations for a variety of solvers

  • Fascinating Geometry: Configurations -- using the Java equivalent of Geometer's Sketchpad

  • Articles on the chalkless classroom, with video examples

Most of these ideas are in some stage of development by various authors with varying levels of commitment, but some are ideas looking for authors, and perhaps some will trigger other ideas in the minds of potential authors.

David A. Smith, "Welcome to JOMA - JOMA's Projected Content," Convergence (September 2004)