Online Distance Education

This book will address the discussion on online distance education, teacher education, and how the mathematics is transformed with the Internet, based on examples that illustrate the possibilities of different course models and on the theoretical construct humans-with-media. We will attempt to give the reader the sensation of experiencing one of the various distance courses in which we have participated, or a virtual community that does not have the structure of a course. And if the reader has not yet participated in any of these possibilities, we believe that the book may help, but not substitute, the experience of participating in a discussion list, a course, or a virtual community constituted by a specifi c interest. This book is part of a collection of books called Trends in Mathematics Education, originally published in Brazil. This collection began being published in 2001 and currently has 21 titles published by more than 30 different authors. It is designed to present research to a broader audience that extends beyond academia. The books have been widely used in graduate courses, research groups and in some undergraduate classes. About 60,000 copies of the Portuguese edition have been sold. Some titles have been translated into Spanish and English.