Liberal Arts Math writing and research component uploaded to the Internet at Google Knol for peer review and evaluation. Significant increase in academic quality!

1. GOOGLE KNOL
Using Technology and
Peer-Review for
Teaching and Learning Mathematics
Fred Feldon, Coastline CC
November 11, 2011 # T3A

2. “Mathematics is not a careful march
down a well-cleared highway, but a
journey into a strange
wilderness, where the explorers often
get lost.”
-- W. S. Anglin, author of Mathematics: A
Concise History and Philosophy, 1994

3. • “Peer review raises academic standards in the classroom.” Carol
Boston, ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation, University of
Maryland, College Park, 2002
• “When students are asked to write for one another, they write
more effectively.” Richard Light, Harvard University, 2003
• “Peer review ensures that the material is correct, as well as
relevant, original and well written for the readers.” Ellen Yi-Luen
Do, Department of Architecture, University of Washington, 2004
• “Peer review ensures the quality of papers that are
published, sets scientific standards of the discipline and subtler
standards of collegiality, behavior and ethics.” Ethics of Peer Review: A
Guide for Manuscript Reviewers, Sara Rockwell, Ph.D., Yale University School of
Medicine, 2005
• “Collaborative peer review is well suited as a formative
evaluation.” Larry Keig and Michael Waggoner, Truman State University, The
Center for Teaching and Learning, 1994

4. • “Sharing student course work is an example of „social
pedagogies‟ defined as engaging students with an authentic
audience--which could be other students.” Derek Bruff, Director of the
Center for Learning and a senior lecturer in mathematics at Vanderbuilt
Univerity, “The Chronicle of Higher Education November 9, 2011.
http://chronicle.com/article/A-Social-Network-Can-Be-a/129609/

6. www.knol.google.com

7. • User-written articles
• Compares to Wikipedia, Citizendium,
and Scholarpedia but
• Stresses personal expertise and
authorship like Squidoo, HubPages
and Helium

8. • Opened to the public in 2008
• Google account required
• No policy regarding source or neutrality
• Each article may be rated and commented
on
• Search by author or topic or key words

9. As of October, 2011, Google Knol achieved:
• Top 1000 web platforms (#831)
• 6.5 million unique visitors per month
• 600,000 papers have been published
• By 35,000 authors

11. The Project -- Students
Choose One:

12. Some Notable
Examples…

13. Shaina Cohen‟s Knol at
http://knol.google.com/k/s-cohen/hunting-the-hidden-dimension/199fiq859tnn3/1
She incorporates knitting AND linguistics into mathematics and fractals!
Elisa Swift‟s Knol at
http://knol.google.com/k/elisa-swift/my-report-on-seven-symbols-out-of-
sixty/gg9kjjysusqw/1. Quote, “I want to enroll in more math classes!”
Erica Segovia‟s Knol at http://knol.google.com/k/erica-segovia/hunting-the-hidden-
dimensions/3d8ad20v066le/1 her 8-year old son who loves math watched it with
her.
Derrick Davenport Summer 2011 http://knol.google.com/k/derrick-davenport/sixty-
symbols/1b2d64iuxdce4/1 included the latest video on Guinness beer foam
composed of tetraki tetrahedra!
Tiffany Smith has a 3D working Hypercube AND the Kool-Aid Man. It doesn‟t get
any better than that! http://knol.google.com/k/tiffany-smith/l1f3-8y-
num83r5/366vc1tqacwkn/2

23. Thank You
ffeldon@coastline.edu
This presentation is available to download at
http://www.slideshare.net/ffeldon/using-technology-
for-peer-review