Eric Schulz's March 2011 talk

* Time and Date: 4:10 pm Thursday, March 3

* Location: 5W Neill Hall, WSU Mathematics Department

* Title: A New Generation Interactive eBook for Calculus

* Abstract: Eric is the creator of a new generation interactive eBook for calculus which contains 650 interactive 2D/3D figures that appear seamlessly with all of the narrative text, examples, exercises, etc. normally found in a printed calculus textbook. The interactive figures are designed to help students develop an intuitive, geometric understanding of important calculus principles while providing instructors with time-saving and pedagogically sound teaching tools. Eric will discuss the effects of using the interactive eBook and how it has changed the way he teaches and the way students are able to learn calculus. The complete eBook is built using Mathematica, however knowledge of Mathematica is not important for using the book (no Mathematica code is visible anywhere in the eBook) and readers of the book need only the freely available Mathematica Player software. The eBook design can be a model for other authors who want to write and create a new generation interactive eBook.

* Speaker Bio: Eric Schulz has been on the mathematics faculty at Walla Walla Community College in Walla Walla, Washington since 1989. He has a BS degree in mathematics from Seattle Pacific University (1985) and an MS degree in mathematics/optimization from the University of Washington (1988). He has been working with technology since 1989 and is especially interested in innovative and effective uses of technology in mathematics education. He worked on Visual Linear Algebra (Wiley, 2005) with Herman & Pepe, created the Quick Start Assistants palettes shipping in Mathematica worldwide in English, Japanese, Spanish, and Chinese, and works with Wolfram Research, Inc. in the role of developer as time allows. He is the creator of the interactive eBook for, and co-author of, Calculus by Briggs/Cochran (Pearson/Addison-Wesley, 2011).

* Background Information for Talk: Link to the Briggs/Cochran Calculus book and to the "Visual Linear Algebra" text. to the