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Math OER
 Math In My Life Playground 

If people do not believe that mathematics is simple, it is only because they do not realize how complicated life is.

- John von Neumann

Some other playgrounds focused on the common uses of math in real life that are perhaps easiest to analyze and discuss: budgets, event planning, grocery planning, and home ownership.

This playground attempts to be the "catch all" place for other uses of math in real or imagined events from your past, present, or future. You might analyze building a fence, conducting a survey, shopping for insurance, or saving for retirement. Or anything else! The common requirement is that you include three concepts from class in an essay you submit using Google Docs or Slides (so your instructor can add comments and suggestions).

For each of those three math concepts you should include a description of the situation, why the math concept applies to the situation, and numeric details. The numbers could be from your life, from research, or realistic estimates. Also say what the answer means: how it helps with a practical decision, and how reliable you think its guidance is.

Be warned that you cannot merely keep track of data. You must have analysis too. Recording your progress in a weight lifting routine might be inspiring, but as math it is simply listing numbers. Sharing what Zillow reveals about the prices of houses in your neighborhood might be interesting, but you need to do something with those numbers.

Your presentation should have a pleasant appearance and flow. Use paragraphs and complete sentences. Use the software's built-in spell checking, and perhaps the Grammarly browser extension. Read your work out loud to yourself to catch careless errors and check its flow. Ask a friend or family member for feedback, or make an appointment with the Writing Center. Include at least one image or diagram, but avoid clutter.

Submit the first draft with the Share button in Google Docs or Slides. Use my LCC e-mail address, and give me (or "Anyone at Lane Community College") the ability to comment. (If you forgot to do this first time, just click Share again to change the setting.)

You grade will be based on:

• Making use of three concepts from class (20 points each)
• Having a pleasant appearance and flow (10 points)
• Revising your first draft after receiving comments and suggestions (30 points)

It might help to see these five examples of student work from past terms: 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.