Notes on Where is Math 2.0?

As Nora napped today I listened to and interview with Maria Droujkova about Math 2.0. Maria is a founder of Natural Math. Natural Math is

" a network of people interested in making meaningful, useful, beautiful and fun mathematics. The current and recent projects of Natural Math include Math Clubs, an open online resource called Family Multiplication Study, participatory book/multimedia projects on Multiplication Models and Early Algebra, courses connecting mathematics with programming, game design, physics, ecology and art, and a study of mathematics in social networks called "Where is Math 2.0?" The five closely connected parts of the Natural Math framework are mathematical authoring, community mathematics, humanistic mathematics, executable mathematics, and psychology of mathematics education."
and more info about her,

"Maria grew up in the Ukraine, where she was active in Math and Science Olympiads and young scientist organizations. Her undergraduate work at Moscow State University was on bifurcation theory, a branch of differential equations theory. Maria continued studying mathematics at Tulane University in New Orleans, while focusing more on mathematics education. For her doctorate work at North Carolina State University, she looked at roles of metaphors in the growth of mathematical understanding. Maria organizes events, workshops and seminars, runs research projects, and helps people from toddlers to professors in their endeavors. Maria lives in Cary, North Carolina with Dmitri, her husband and colleague of twenty years, and their ten-year-old daughter Katherine."

The interview was titled, " Where is Math 2.0?" and the link to the interview is here.

The interview began with Maria defining 'social objects' and Math 2.0. Math 2.0 is a forum online where people interact around a social object in the topic of math. The social object would be the product that may come out of that forum.

The math 2.0 forum allows people to communicate and collaborate around a social object which may be anything from a book, a problem, or perhaps even a YouTube video.

What was most important about the idea of social objects is the fact that most math that happens in school does not actually allow children to create. As a teacher of art I see a huge gap for me to fill in this area. I can absolutely create social objects. In most math platforms in schools you engage in it and when you leave there has been no trace of you having been on it.....like the math drill sites online.

I really liked this interview for I have never even thought about math in terms of today's technology and social media. Apparently the social web is filled with a plethora of forums geared towards language, activities around the written work, different media, photography, game development, arts, anthropology. Yet, there is still very limited social mathematics happening on the web. There are plenty of sites when kids can practice math exercises online yet we do not yet see kids creating any math-related projects online.