Presenting Mathematical Concepts on the World Wide Web
Think Visually: Screen vs. Page Design

Armed with some information, mathematical or otherwise, the time comes for you to communicate it. You could use hypertext because it's there, or you may have better reasons for using it. Before considering any more about hypertext itself, take a moment to consider your intent and your options.

The intent of your web pages may be to present:

• Information about your organization,
• Course materials for, and by, students,
• Reports of research results,
• Resources for fun or education or professional use,
• etc.

The presentation options you have available to you include:

• Verbal:
  • Examples:
    • Lecture,
    • Discussion,
    • Socratic Dialog, ...
  • With these pros & cons:
    • Has certainly been around the longest.
    • Is often supplemented by handwaving and written notation.
    • Can be highly conducive to dialog and discussion, if that is desirable in your context.
• Print:
  • Examples:
    • Personal Communication,
    • Paper or Article,
    • Book, ...
  • With these pros & cons:
    • Has evolved highly sophisticated typographical tools.
    • Permits high resolution, if relatively costly, images.
    • Currently offers the most accurate and durable presentations.
• Electronic:
  • Examples (note these additional comparisons):
    • ASCII / email,
    • RTF / TeX,
    • Professional Tools with Annotation Capabilities,
    • Specialized Programs,
    • and Web-based presentations, which are the focus of this workshop!
  • With these pros & cons:
    • Is cearly the most recently developed.
    • Is undergoing constant tool development.
      Wait a bit, and the tool you need will be there vs. wait a bit, and the tool you used will be obsolete.
    • Has, nonetheless, opened up an array of new opportunities.
      We are still figuring out how best to make use of them.
• Other means, such as videos, which:
  • Share some features of all the above, but
  • Will not be covered in this session.