Summer+2013+emails

http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/mathematics/
 * Resource**: Here is a listing of all MIT Open Course Ware (OCW) courses:

1. Visit getafive.com and click on "I'm a student". 2. On the students page, choose "AP Calculus AB". 3. On the AP Calculus AB page, click on the "Enroll now" button. 4. Create an account or log in if you're already signed up. 5. You're now in your personal Study Room. 6. Click on the "Join a Class" tab on the left and enter this code: 2LWGY2A
 * Resource:** To sign up for www.getafive.com:

**Note 2 / 2013-08-06**
Hello again! A few things this time:
 * Corrected **url**s for the sites I provided last time
 * Some additional free resources
 * Other additional resources for a fee
 * Information on book pilot


 * __Corrected urls__**

Apparently my school email adds a lot of stuff to the urls I provided last time. Here is an attempt to get you an address that you can click on. In any event you can always copy and paste the web address into a browser. Wikispace: http://mhs-calculus.wikispaces.com College Board AP requirements (there is one for each AP class – let me know if you wish to access the others and can’t figure things out): [] Calculus Help: [|http://www.calculus-help.com]


 * __Some additional free resources__**

Jason sent a note and pointed out the Khan Academy lectures on calculus. You can get to them via [] or on YouTube (look for Khan Academy calculus I guess).

Along the same lines, and also good, are videos that “PatrickJMT” does. He recently reorganized his own website, and things seem to be more difficult to find now (patrickjmt.com). However, if you search on YouTube for patrickjmt you should easily find something useful.

A word about those two sites: they focus on how to do specific types of problems. This is necessary and useful – but one of the challenges you’ll have is to begin viewing mathematics as something more than just a cookbook of problem-and-solution types.

If you haven’t already, you “should” (I probably mean something different than everyone else who uses that word) become familiar with the massively online (free) college level courses that exist. For this class, I’d recommend creating an account at [|www.coursera.org] and signing up for “Calculus One”; and in addition for the slightly more ambitious, “Calculus Two: Sequences and Series”. Both are offered by The Ohio State University, and promise to be quite good. It is too much to expect that you could do my class AND keep up with the work … but I encourage you to download every video you can to help with the content, or review before the AP Exam in May.

Before Coursera, I was in love with something called the Open Coursework Consortium (OCW). MIT has a lot of courses available here (ocw.mit.edu), and there are several Calculus offerings. Jason, in his note, pointed to a video calculus course ‘starring’ Gil Strang – “Highlights of Calculus” at []. Gil also has an online textbook at [].

I just received a note from one of the co-founders of getafive.com – all the information in the next section about getafive.com is true – except it is free to everyone this year! They also have accompanying courses for AP US and AP World.


 * __For the person who wants everything__**

There are 2 fee-based services that I would recommend (based on a cursory look on my part).

[|www.thinkwell.com] – you are essentially ‘renting’ an online course that is good for a year (last I looked). It is pricey – around $125 - $150 I think. But the videos are done by Edward Burger and are magnificent (ummm … to me)

[|www.getafive.com] – this is more affordable ($50) – BUT FREE THIS YEAR. I am registered on here, and so if you sign up you should say you are my student so I can “see” what you’ve done.

The value of getafive.com is that it includes a lot of practice questions and some diagnostic exams (of an unknown quality). I think it would be good for AP exam review. Thinkwell, for the price, must also offer lots of questions – I am just less familiar with the service. It’s been a while since I’ve looked at it.

And really – there are so many FREE resources, I’d hold off on doing anything like this.


 * __Information on book pilot__**

I am going to try to use an online version of a book that is coming out in a year or so. I began a relationship with the publisher a year ago, and am able to get access to PDFs of the entire book. If you’d like to start looking: __ [] __ __ [] __ @http://phschool.com/atschool/briggs_calc/pdfs/C02_S03.pdf

I’ve gained access to this with only the promise to administer a questionnaire at the end of each semester (I think that’s all I committed to!).

As I’ve said before – It should be an awesome year for me J But I hope for you as well – if things go well, you’ll be able to succeed in college no matter what your major, and will be better able to compete with your college colleagues. And you may even have your mind blown once or twice J

See you soon !! __

**Note 1 / 2013-07-13**
Greetings!!

I'm checking out my list of emails - if you get this, please reply back. The most useful information will be the emails that bounce back to me because I entered something wrong, but reply back anyway.

Lot of information here. If you only read these things on a little tiny phone, let me know and we can maybe work something else out....

No particular order: * I set up a Facebook group: **MHS AP Calculus** - it hasn't been used in a while, but I thought I'd give it a try. It REALLY helps to talk some of the ideas over with others - whether you use the wikispace, or this, or some other means is fine; but I will do everything my 20th century brain can think of to help :-) I don't know if you have to ask to join, or how that works. Someone try it out and let me know :-)

*** So - oh yeah.** wikispace**:** ** http://mhs-calculus.wikispaces.com No need to join really - I;ll be posting things in here (and there is stuff already there ....). If you want to join, you need to request that and be approved by me ..... **

@http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/repository/ap-calculus-course-description.pdf It’s the course description and contains all the things that might be assessed on the AP exams – both AB and BC.
 * The content you are responsible for on the AP exam is governed by the collegeboard. Here is the current calculus class description:

*** There are two 'levels' of AP Calculus, corresponding roughly to Calc 1 and a full year of calculus (Calc 1 and 2). Actually the AB exam has a bit more than just Calc 1; making the road to BC a little easier. We'll talk more about this, obviously, but you shouldn't worry about this. We have a TON more time than Calc 1 and Calc 2 would take in college, and all of you will be able to take the BC exam should you choose.**


 * If you do ‘well enough’ (defined by each college) on the AB exam, you will most likely get credit for a Calc 1 course. This would be the equivalent of 4 credits at UD for example. If you do ‘well enough’ on the BC exam, you will most likely get credit for Calc 1 and Calc 2 (the equivalent of 8 credits at UD). **

(recommended, not required) **Idiot's Guide to Calculus**, by W Michael Kelley, and the companion site he started but never finished: [], most notably the 10 or so tutorials about intro calculus. He is a great writer, and provides another explanation or view of all the *ideas* we'll be talking about. Alas - no problems to work on :-(
 * Resources that will help:

(strongly recommended, almost required). **Barron's AP Calculus**. Most of the AP classes here recommend Barron's - there aren't many explanations of topics, but there are tons of problems, with hints and solutions. It is not necessary to buy the edition with the CD - you'll be getting lots of practice throughout the year. I think the latest edition is the 12th - Amazon currently lists it for 14.42. You can share it with a friend; I'll be batching orders together early in the class (Oct or so) since I don't pay shipping, but ANY order over $25 is with free shipping, so if you want to go in with a friend, feel free to. You will most likely be assigned a chapter or two as a project during the year, but you'll want to use it more than that.

- - - - - - - - -

I will also be talking in class about how to be successful in a science or engineering major in a good college (which you will not be tested on). And I view my job as preparing you to succeed in the next level calculus course in college. Each college includes some topics that may not be in the AP curriculum, and I will cover some of those. You should plan to be responsible for everything I cover. Note that this is a different job than teaching you the AP test. You will learn that and more.

More than that, though - I'll be talking some about a successful college career and what comes after. I think the class has a lot of value, even if you don't "need" calculus for your intended-at-this-moment major. But more about that later ....

What your focus should be, and where your struggle will be, is sitting in a math class and working through problems and trying to understand ideas and then having to form for yourself connections between the topics and learning to visualize – create mental pictures – for yourself of what is going on. It will be a challenge – but one you can certainly succeed at, and one which promises great rewards if you persevere.

I view this as a cooperative effort - you and I are in this together!! I will try very hard not to let you down. Email me or facebook me or talk to me after school or whatever you need !!

I am REALLY REALLY REALLY looking forward to this class !!

End of long note 1 :-)