Author Archives: Matt Boelkins
College textbook prices: up close and personal
In the year since starting this blog, I’ve posted frequently about the rising costs of college texts, including here, here, and here. Recently I learned that it’s one thing to read articles about the issue or to hear students talk … Continue reading
Active Calculus: now endorsed by the American Institute of Mathematics
One of the goals of the American Institute of Mathematics (AIM) is “to encourage the adoption of open source and open access mathematics textbooks.” Their editorial board maintains a list of approved texts that have been reviewed according to their … Continue reading
Posted in General, Publicity, Publishing, Resources
Tagged calculus, free, online, open source, resources, textbooks
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Looking ahead to fall semester
In an earlier post, I mentioned that I’m excited to have a considerable number of my colleagues at GVSU teaching from Active Calculus this fall. One reason is that an increase in people using it will lead to suggestions and … Continue reading
Screencasts for Active Calculus and the Inverted Classroom
It’s time to gear up for fall semester. Over the month of August ahead, I look forward to sharing some news and updates about Active Calculus and related matters here on the blog. I’m excited that among the many sections … Continue reading
Posted in inquiry-based learning, Resources
Tagged differential calculus, IBL, inverted classroom, online, resources, technology
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On work-life balance
This has little to do with calculus, but everything to do with the profession that typically delivers calculus. If you haven’t read this wonderful post by Radhika Nagpal, who teaches computer science at Harvard, you should.
Posted in General
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Active Calculus is not like the NSA
So there’s a new brand of e-book out there, and it has an NSA-like flavor: an e-reader that tracks what students have read. From a recent NYT article, “They know when students are skipping pages, failing to highlight significant passages, … Continue reading
Posted in Resources, Software
Tagged resources, technology
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What is the purpose of calculus?
One of my springtime habits this year has been to stop by Robert Talbert‘s office at 3:35 pm as I make my way back from teaching a linear algebra course (that runs in 6 weeks’ time, incidentally!). He’s been teaching … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
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A great text, newly free
[Sheepish apologies for my too-long absence from blogging. Life!] My friend and GVSU colleague Ted Sundstrom has recently made his wonderful text, Mathematical Reasoning, free to the public. After being originally published by Prentice Hall in two separate editions and … Continue reading
Using Geogebra in Calculus
Last week Thursday I gave a colloquium talk at a local college on some of my favorite results in the area of mathematics known as “the geometry of polynomials.” During the talk, I used a couple of demonstrations built in … Continue reading
Posted in General, Publishing
Tagged activities, calculus, free, resources, technology
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What Leads to the High Prices of Textbooks?
Lots of hard work goes into the writing of any textbook. No question about that. But few textbook companies front that money to the author(s). Further, while textbook companies regularly cite the high costs of developing and producing texts, those … Continue reading
