admin stuff

Welcome to Dana Ernst's Teaching Wiki. This wiki is primarily designed for my students, but if you somehow found your way here, feel free to poke around. You may also be interested in my web page.

About

My name is Dana Ernst and I am an assistant professor in the Mathematics Department at Plymouth State University in Plymouth, NH. I am very passionate about mathematics education. Recently, I have become interested in inquiry-based learning and the Moore method for teaching mathematics. This educational paradigm has transformed my teaching.

I am also interested in utilizing technology to enhance the learning of mathematics. In particular, I choose free and open-source software and technologies when appropriate. For example, I have been incorporating Sage and Lurch into my teaching. Sage is a free open-source mathematics software system licensed under the GPL. It combines the power of many existing open-source packages into a common Python-based interface. Lurch is open-source mathematics validation software with the ability to check the steps of your work in many areas of mathematics, from calculus to logic. I also make use of wikis for some of my courses to enhance collaboration and to introduce students to LaTeX. For a recent example of one of my course wikis, go here.

In addition to using free and open-source software, I am inspired by the recent open-source textbook movement and I strongly believe that educators should choose free, open-source, or low cost textbooks when a viable alternative exists. For a selection of free and/or open-source textbooks, go here.

Lastly, I am an avid cyclist and rock climber and also enjoy hikes with the family and drinking copious amounts of coffee.

For more information about me, including my research interests, see my other wiki.

What is a wiki?

What is a wiki, you ask? According to Wikipedia, the world's largest wiki site:

A Wiki ([ˈwiː.kiː] <wee-kee> or [ˈwɪ.kiː] <wick-ey>) is a type of website that allows users to add, remove, or otherwise edit and change most content very quickly and easily.

As a part of the Wikidot.com network, this site is a customizable piece of the internet where users can edit content, upload files, communicate and collaborate.

Old Courses

Here is a list of previous courses (with web pages) that I have taught since 2005.