Author: Jon Oaks

  • Grade Distributions for Fall 2013

    Here are the grade distributions for my Fall 2013 classes: A A- B+ B B- C+ C D+ D D- E C or better Math 0070 2 3 4 2 2 4 2 9 60.7% Math 1100 11 3 10 1 1 1 5 84.4% Math 1280 3 2 3 5 100.0% Math 1340 1…

  • A #hernia2013 Update

    I wasn’t sure if I wanted to write this post because I thought it might end up sounding bitter, but the fact of the matter is that I’m not bitter about anything.  I am just writing this to try to inspire those who might be struggling with issues in their life right now, especially around…

  • SCORM Objects and Camtasia Quizzes in Instructure Canvas

    So, what exactly is SCORM? Yeah, I don’t know, either.  I can tell you that SCORM stands for Shareable Content Object Reference Model, but other than that, I really have no idea. Why would someone want to use SCORM? Many textbooks these days have publisher-provided SCORM content.  So, if you want to import pre-made content…

  • The Problem with Math is English

    There have been several separate occasions in my math classes this semester where a student has asked me a question about a vocabulary word and I simply just didn’t know the answer.  I took 3 years of Latin in high school and I was an English teacher at one point, so I generally can guess the meaning…

  • Nevermind is a Very Rude Word

    I would like to make the case that the word ‘nevermind’ is quite possibly one of the rudest words in the English language  In fact, if you check the dictionary, the definition of the word actually states that nevermind is a word that is usually used in negative contexts. So, why am I ranting and rambling…

  • Diversity in Mathematics

    Diversity in Mathematics Diversity is a topic that is near and dear to my heart.  As a Korean kid in a primarily white neighborhood and surrounded by primarily white family and friends, I was often bullied.  Although, I’m sure it didn’t help that I was overweight as a child, but that’s a different story.  I…

  • See you at #MichMATYC13

    As part of MichMATYC’s Fall 2013 Conference coming up on Friday, October 4 – Saturday, October 5, I was asked to create gift basket to be used as a raffle prize during the conference.  I gladly agreed to help out by making a donation!  A picture of the basket and a description of what’s all…

  • What I Learned at #BloggyCon13

    This weekend I attended my first blogging conference ever: Bloggy Conference 2013. My intent for attending was as follows: I wanted to get tips for becoming a better blogger myself. I am considering having my students write blogs themselves (similar to this idea), as I truly believe that if my students write about what they…

  • Resources for Teaching Integers

    I was recently contacted about whether or not I had any resources for teaching about Integers.  Of course, my answer was a resounding, “yes!”  But I was actually a little embarrassed when I had to admit to the person that I had never taken the time to organize them all into one easy-to-find place on…

  • The Mathematics of Weight Loss

    The picture below was taken in college when I was around my heaviest weight ever of 314 lbs.  I’ve always been a big person and I there is a lot that goes into why this is the case as well.  Was it the way I was raised?  Was it genetics?  Was it just me eating…