Algebra webinar from Bootstrap

Image via WikipediaAre you looking for something to do this weekend. I know why would you want to work on the weekend? Well there isn't any football for two more weeks so this is a great excuse to get out of cleaning the basement.

Bootstrap

Bootstrap [http://www.bootstrapworld.org] is an algebra-focused curriculum, which introduces students to functional programming by having them program their own videogames in a web-based IDE [http://www.wescheme.org]. The curriculum, freely available since 2006, currently reaches hundreds of at-risk middle school students around the country.

During the event, Emmanuel Schanzer (the creator and director of the program) will discuss the research and theory behind Bootstrap's algebra connection, and introduce the curriculum and software package. This talk is aimed especially at math and programming teachers who work with students in grades 6-12.

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All Math 2.0 events are free and open to the public. Information about all events in the series is here: http://mathfuture.wikispaces.com/events

Saturday, January 22nd 2011 we will meet in the LearnCentral public Elluminate room at 11am Pacific / 2pm Eastern time.

To join:

* Follow this link: http://tinyurl.com/math20event
* Click "OK" and "Accept" several times as your browser installs the software. When you see Elluminate Session Log-In, enter your name and click the "Login" button
* You will find yourself in a virtual room. An organizer will be there to greet you, starting about half an hour before the event.

If this is your first Elluminate event, consider coming a few minutes earlier to check out the technology. The room opens half an hour before the event.

About Bootstrap

Bootstrap is a curriculum for middle-school students. It teaches them programming through the media of images and animations. It consists of nine 90-minute lessons, delivered once a week in an after-school setting, with accompanying handouts and software. Our primary delivery network is Citizen Schools, who make it easy for community professionals to teach after-school classes as volunteers.

Event Host
Bootstrap is the creation of Emmanuel Schanzer, a former Citizen Schools employee and now a Doctoral Student at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He began teaching Computer Science in 2000, teaching students at Cornell University how to program in Scheme, and later constructed Bootstrap to teach the same concepts as part of an afterschool program. He is now studying Cognitive Science and Mathematics Instruction.