MathWorld Interactive...About Carol

About Carol

When I walked into my first classroom 8 years ago, I had a philosophy that students needed to develop the life skills of problem-solving, communicating mathematically, and have an ability to use current technology. However, the reality was that my students weren't motivated to produce quality written mathematical work and groaned loudly at the mere mention of the words "problem solving." So, I set out to create something that would grab my students' attention and help them achieve the goals that I believed in.

I created the idea of an interactive on-line problem-solving project and the response was overwhelming. Running the project originally on K-12 Fidonet, my students and students around the world enjoyed sharing our thoughts and ideas across cyberspace. The popularity of the project was overwhelming. But, even more exciting was the response of my own students. They couldn't wait to solve the problems and post them on-line. They would put in hours of quality problem-solving time in order to have the opportunity to place their work on the project site and be able to read and share work from students around the world. "Problem solving" became a fun activity and they couldn't wait for the next time we dug into a problem.

After some time, I presented the project idea to a major on-line service where it was hosted for three years. Again, the response was overwhelming. Those who didn't have access to the on-line service were requesting access to the project. In response, MathWorld Interactive was created in November of 1997 to allow everyone who has on-line access to participate. The project continued until 1999 with a K-12 format.

It is July, 2002 and the project has started anew! However, this time, the project is focusing on grades 6-8! The project will continue to include GeographyWorld Interactive but will dedicate itself to working with students between the ages of 12-15.

I've been a full-time educator for 12 years certified in all levels mathematics in Texas, Illinois, and Colorado. I have presented numerous presentations on the project, problem-solving, and technology in math education. Having been in the classroom, I know the difficulties most educators face and realize that anything has to be easy and low cost to implement in the classroom. I would never have been able to bring this project to life without the total support of some wonderful schools and administrators. With this in mind, I'd like to give honor to the schools where I have been priveledged to teach and share this project: Indian Ridge Middle School and Hillcrest Middle School in the Ysleta Independent School District in El Paso, TX, Bloomington Public School in Distict 87, Bloomington, IL, Aurora Hills Middle School and Mrachek Middle School in the Aurora Public Schools District in Aurora, CO, and Fabens Middle School in the Fabens Independent School District in Fabens, Texas. It is with the greatest pride that I announce my return to Hillcrest Middle School this upcoming year!

It is with much gratitude that I thank the MathForum organization for allowing my project to live through them. The good people of the Mathforum have believed in this from the beginning and provided a postive home for MathWorld Interactive. Amazingly, they have stuck with me through the break in the project's "life" and have agreed to bring MathWorld Interactive back in its new format! With all sincerity, I say "THANK YOU" to the dedicated people at Mathforum.Org.

Personally, I am happily married to Doug and have two beautiful daughters, Marki and Carli. Marki has one son, Quest! And, yes, I am one proud grandmother, er, Nana! My youngest daughter, Carli was one of the first participants in the MathWorld project when I was her middle school teacher. Carli will be earning her degree in education and Marki in psychology from the University of Texas at El Paso.

And, most importantly, I want to thank my father, Lynn Nichols, who shared his gift of teaching with me! Dad, you are missed more than you can ever know!