2013 MAA PREP Workshop

Online 3-D Graphics: Linear Algebra and Google Web Toolkit
Organizer: Thomas E. Leathrum, MCIS Dept., JSU

Participants will be expected to develop at least one complete mathlet prior to the end of the intensive component of the Workshop. Participants will choose a mathematical topic early in the Workshop sessions and will develop a basic applet on that topic using the library of classes provided as part of the preparatory materials. Participants will discuss, as part of the instructional sessions, how they can use the library classes and otherwise improve their own applets. Participants will present their results during the final sessions of the Workshop. After the Workshop, the applets developed by the Participants will be made available by links from this page.

This workshop is a MAA PREP activity funded by the NSF (grant DUE-0817071).

Schedule of Sessions: (times given in Central Daylight Savings Time)
  Tuesday July 16 Wednesday July 17 Friday July 19
10:00-12:00Welcomes and Introduction
Speaker: Christian Goudreau
GWT Overview		 Speaker: David Thornton
Linear Algebra and 3-D Graphics		 Speaker: Peter Krautzberger
Using MathJax in GWT Components
2:00-4:00Basic GWT Widgets and Components
Introduction to Mathlets Library
(utilities in main AMathlets class and related classes)		 Using Third-Party Libraries
for WebGL-based 3-D Graphics		 Choosing a Topic for a Mathlet
Outlining Basic Program Structure
 
  Monday, July 22 Tuesday, July 23 Thursday, July 25
10:00-12:00 Building a Mathlet from Scratch, Part I
Program Structure and Components		 Building a Mathlet from Scratch, Part III
Events, Layout, and Finishing Touches		 Participants Present Completed Work
with discussion
2:00-4:00 Building a Mathlet from Scratch, Part II
Connecting Components and
Providing Underlying Mathematcs		 Summary of Mathlet Development
Participants Present Completed Work
with discussion		 Participants Present Completed Work
with discussion
Concluding Remarks

(Schedule is subject to change. Afternoon sessions may continue to 5:00 if required to complete the sessions for that day.)

Guest Speakers: Readings, software, and materials required during preparatory period:

Preparatory readings:

In particular, the intensive component of the Workshop will not include language basics of Java and GWT, but the tutorials above cover as much of that as will be needed. With the GWT tutorials above, only minimal understanding of JavaScript, HTML, and CSS will be assumed, but these tutorials should be completed prior to the intensive component of the workshop.

Materials will be distributed online to Participants in format of a bootable Ubuntu LiveCD image, customized with the required software and packages. (More information on Ubuntu LiveCD images.) Participants will be able to download all materials as a single ISO image which can be burned to a CD-ROM on their own computer.

A download link for the LiveCD image will be provided here soon.

Participants may also load the required software onto their own computers themselves, from the list below.

To be included on the LiveCD image:

Software:
Third-Party GWT packages:
Workshop-specific tools: