Let’s Play Math!

What makes a great math blog? That depends on who is doing the judging, of course. Your list of Hall of Fame bloggers would surely be different than mine. But since this is my list, the qualifications were:

1. The nominee had to catch my interest. The content couldn’t be too abstract or specialized (since I have forgotten almost all the math I learned in college), but it had to be mathy enough to draw me in.
2. The blogger had to reward my reading time with good stories, thoughtful comments, imaginative puzzles, or really cool pictures — anything that kept me coming back and wishing for more.

So without further ado, the winners, listed alphabetically to avoid playing favorites among my favorites. Here are eleven of the best math-related blogs, the guys and gals who make me think:

• Drat These Greeks!
  Myrtle is teaching proof-based algebra to her pre-teen son, and she seems to be doing a good job. I love her tagline: “Three people in my immediate family have advanced math degrees but all I got was this lousy blog.”
• dy/dan
  Math lessons, presentation tips, and more — always interesting. I am looking forward to trying Dan’s Graphing Stories lesson with my junior high students next semester.
• Homeschool Math
  “I love teaching and I love math.” Maria is a lady after my own heart. She is also the author of the Math Mammoth books. If you are a homeschooler or afterschooler frustrated with your math curriculum, you might want to check out her free samples.
• JD2718
  If I was stranded on a desert island with nothing to read but three blogs, JD2718 would be one of them. At least then I would have the time to fully enjoy his puzzles.
• Mathematical paintings and sculptures
  New in 2007. Check out this beautiful Celtic Möbius strip.
• MathNotations
  My other choice of math blog if I ever find myself stranded on a desert isle. Puzzles, investigations, and lots of things to learn about math. I couldn’t begin to pick a favorite post to link — go browse for yourself.
• Ramblings of a Math Mom
  Another math-loving mom who coaches students for math competitions. I wish I could sit in on her middle-school lessons.
• Text Savvy
  Insight about math and teaching from a textbook author and editor, plus a bonus: brainteasers.
• The Exponential Curve
  Dan teaches math at Downtown College Prep charter high school, where the target student is low-skilled and of the first generation to go to college. What a challenge!
• think again!
  Two of my favorite things: puzzles and quotations. Click. Browse. Enjoy.
• Wild About Math!
  A very new site, but already chock-full of useful content. I am keeping an eye on this one.

And don’t forget to visit the latest Carnival of Mathematics, hosted by Hall of Fame blogger Sol at Wild About Math!

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• Free (mostly) math resources on the Internet
• Carnival of Mathematics