This edition of the TiME committee newsletter is the third edition since the Pittsburgh conference.  I want to thank all who have contributed and who have volunteered to contribute in the future and to again express my thanks to Joyce Oster for editing the newsletter.

This newsletter will continue to be published totally electronically on the TiME committee homepage which is currently undergoing some additional growth.  Phil Thurber has added links to technology sites, links to other informational articles and papers written by Mathematics instructors with helpful hints for instructors in the use of technology in all aspects of their teaching, and an archive for TiME committee newsletters.  Suggestions for other items to add to the homepage are welcome.  Please send them to me at 
jkissick@pcc.edu .

The TiME committee will be joining the other AMATYC committees in a Committee Showcase near the registration area at the AMATYC conference in Chicago on Thursday.  I would appreciate any suggestions the committee members have as to what we should put on display to encourage AMATYC members to join and support the committee.

The TiME committee has been directed by the AMATYC board to develop a plan to encourage colleges to address the issue of equal access, in school and at home, to technology by students in all income groups.  There will be some e-mail discussion on this issue prior to the conference, and it will be a major agenda item for the conference.  Please think about the issue and plan to present your ideas in the e-mail discussion and in the committee meetings.

As mentioned in the last newsletter, the revised goals and objectives of the TiME committee were approved by the AMATYC board during their spring meeting.  The approved version of these revised goals and objectives is now available on the TiME web page.

There continues to be considerable discussion on the MATHEDCC discussion list on a variety of subjects and I encourage everyone to continue to use that list for any mathematics related educational topic.

Anyone who would like to submit a technology article for a future newsletter, report on a technology event attended or advertise upcoming technology happenings of interest to the TiME committee members, please submit your article or information to myself or to Joyce Oster at interact@ici.net.

I hope that everyone has enjoyed their summer and that fall classes are going well, or will go well for those of you who have late starts.  I hope to see everyone at the conference in Chicago and especially at our TiME committee meetings.

Jerry

Math Image Writing Tips for Beginners and Experts Alike 

Steve Simonds
Portland Community College
ssimonds@pcc.edu

When writing materials for you classes, do you still write your math symbols by hand?  Do you use the carriage return to write fractions?  If so, you may be unaware that Microsoft Word comes with an easy to use mathematics editor called Equation Editor.  Once you have the hang of it, it takes about 10 seconds to create something as complicated as: .

Perhaps you’re an old pro at Equation Editor and are in search of software that easily generates mathematical test banks or web-based math exams.  If so, Examview Pro may be just the product you are searching for.

The icon shown in the header for this article is the ticket into the Microsoft Equation Editor.  While equation editor is part of the standard installation on later versions of Microsoft Office, you will still need to customize your toolbar before the icon appears.  If you have an older version of Microsoft Office, you may have to load the CD that came with the software and perform a custom install to add Equation Editor.  (It’s not as scary as it sounds.)

I have posted an Equation Editor tutorial that I wrote  for students typing math projects  I also found some handy tips for using Microsoft Equation Editor at the site for “Mathtype.”  Both URLs appear at the end of this article.

Examview Pro is a versatile product that can be used to generate all types of questions (multiple choice, fill in the blank, essay…) for all types of tests.  You can generate tests from scratch or from preexisting question backs (which you and/or your colleagues must develop).  The tests can be standard paper and pencil tests, in-house on-line tests, or web-based tests.  With web-based tests you can chooses between having scores reported to you via e-mail or simply letting the students use the tests for self-evaluation.

What sold me on the software was its overall easy functionality and, specifically, the similarities between Examview’s Equation Editor and that found in Microsoft products.  If you’re an old pro at Microsoft Equation Editor, you will find the transition to Examview Pro a piece of cake.

I have included at the bottom a URL for a site I am in the process of building containing several Examview on-line quizzes; scroll about the buttons to determine which tests are already on-line.  I also have included the URL for Examview Pro.

Happy typing!

Equation Editor Tutorial: http://spot.pcc.edu/~ssimonds/thisandthat/msword.htm

Mathtype Tips for MS Equation Editor: http://www.mathtype.com/features/eeform.stm

Sample Examview quizzes: http://spot.pcc.edu/academ/math/calclab/labquiz/

Examview Pro site: http://www.examview.com/
 
 

Suggested topics may include your experiences with graphing calculators, interactive math software for teaching and learning, distance education and/or online teaching.  Other suggestions can include a list of your favorite web sites or other Internet resources for mathematics, etc. 

Please submit these to me at interact@ici.net or joster@jwu.edu, with a copy to our Chairperson Jerry Kissick at jkissick@pcc.edu. 

I look forward to seeing all of you in November in Chicago...

Items of Interest:

(1) Currently, the TiME Committee has three printings for its Newsletter: Fall, Winter, Spring.   With this in mind, please mark the following dates:

ISSUE:	PRINTING:	DEADLINE FOR SUBMITTALS:
Winter 2000-2001	January 2001	December 15, 2000
Spring 2001	May 2001	April 15, 2001
Fall 2001	September 2001	August 15, 2001

(2) As a reminder, the following committee members are responsible for the listed area of interest:

Newsletter:	Joyce Oster
MATHEDCC discussion list:	Wayne Mackey
TiME Committee discussion list:	Darrell Abney
TiME Committee web page:	Brian Smith/Phil Thurber