The Blog of The Video Math Tutor

#21 - End of This Blog

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 00:43:47 -0700

I have decided to move this blog to another server. It should allow me to participate more easily. This one was a bit of a pain to use. So Please go to the link below and subscribe there:

http://mathpodcast.com/blog/

#20 - Video Flash Cards - Greek Letters

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 21:45:08 -0700

This collection of Video Flash Cards helps you learn the letters of the Greek alphabet. Both upper and lower case letters are covered. Several printable worksheets are provided as a bonus. The "cards" should be useful to students of mathematics, physics, astronomy, Greek and for new pledges of fraternities or sororities.

File Size: 81.5 Megabytes -- Download Sample Video Flash Cards: Sample 1 • Sample 2

Price: $4.99

To order, go HERE

#19 - Revamp of Mobile Site

Wed, 30 Dec 2009 18:50:30 -0700

I just finished revamping my much neglected mobile website. I hope those with video capable phones will like the new look.

The “Official” URL is: m.videomathtutor.com/ but that will just re-direct you to the actual link:

http://videomathtutor.websiteforever.mobi/

#19 - Changing Videos to Blip.tv

Sun, 6 Dec 2009 06:31:16 -0700

I am slowly changing the YouTube videos I have embeded here to those I have on blip.tv. Why? Well, I will keep YouTube videos on my videomathtutor.com site, but many schools block YouTube, so I decided to make blip.tv the host of the embeded videos for THIS site. As of today, I changed the Video Brain Teasers here, and will follow up with the rest of the videos in the coming days.

#18 - Video Brain Teasers Collection DVD

Sun, 6 Dec 2009 06:28:13 -0700

This is a collection of the first 58 Video Brain Teasers that have been posted here individually on this website (and elsewhere). These consist of recreational mental puzzles/problems dealing with the arrangement of matchsticks, coins, and other items. Also included is a pencil drawing game, a riddle, many Optical Illusions, a "Hidden Image" problem, a "Lateral Thinking" puzzle, and quite a few "Find the Twin" problems.

The puzzles on the Video DVD do not have the background music, only the individual puzzles in .M4V format have it in the DVD-ROM folder.

40 minutes of video. 18 pages of "Find the Twins" Puzzles in PDF Format.
1 DVD-R disc.

DVD Price: $14.99 - VOD Price: $9.99

For more details, click HERE.

#17 - Upgraded mathpodcast website

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 00:53:06 -0700

It took me quite a while, but I *FINALLY* was able to upgrade my mathpodcast.com website (mirror site on my MobileMe account). I used iWeb to originally create it, but when I got iWeb 2, well... it pretty much screwed up all my files on my yahoo.com server. So I had to start over and redo about 90% of the site. I was able to salvage most of the main pages, and just did minor changes to them.

The good news is that I was able to add a few “bells and whistles” I did not have before, so I hope you all like the changes.

Another thing I should be able to do is to make more frequent Blog updates, and it will be easier for me to add new content using iWeb 2.

I decided to use smaller videos (iPod size) so that the videos use less memory on my laptop (and yours!). If you need larger ones, you can get those by watching the YouTube versions or, better yet, by purchasing my DVDs that include higher quality versions of my lessons. Remember, YOUR support allows me to create MORE videos! Don’t forget to support my advertisers too!

#16 - Maple 13

Mon, 11 May 2009 14:36:33 -0700

I feel like a kid in a candy store! I have Maple 13 now!

Eventually, I hope to create special “how-to” videos so that others can learn how to use this incredible software. I have been a Maple user since the mid-90’s.

#15 - More website changes

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 19:32:28 -0700

Made some changes on the the hompage of the videomathtutor.com website. I took out most of the ads on it, and added links to videos sites that also have my videos. I added a new Show player that I hope people will like better than the old one.

I also made a few other cosmetic changes. I still have a few more things to do with it, like adding the merchandise and a new PDF Printshop.

#14 - Watch My YouTube videos in HQ

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 15:56:02 -0700

YouTube has just announced that embedded videos can now be seen in High Quality (HQ). The videos on my main website (www.videomathtutor.com) are from YouTube. Now, all you need to do is click the “up” arrow located on the lower right corner of the video,then click on the “HQ” button.

I recommend this for users with a FAST internet connection.

#13 - Embed my videos

Mon, 2 Feb 2009 13:29:30 -0700

If you have YouTube and Google AdSense accounts, you can MAKE MONEY by placing my videos on your site! This is a great way for teachers, tutors, and students to earn a little extra cash every month, while learning some mathematics too! NOTE: only the FREE videos I have posted here are allowed. If you need videos of a certain size, visit my YouTube Channel and select the individual video you want (go to the playlist on top of page to easily find videos).

Click HERE for more information.

#12 - Re-designed websites

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 06:51:42 -0700

The videomathtutor.com and mathpodcast.com websites got redesigned... FINALLY! It took me quite a while to get the videomathtutor.com site modernized (it no longer looks like something out of the early ‘90’s), and I hope you will like the result. It was created using RapidWeaver 3.6.

Please take your time to browse through the site. I do welcome any suggestions for further improvement. Also, please take the time to click on the ad banners I have placed there. By shopping at the affiliates I advertise, you are supporting my efforts to continue providing free and low-cost math tutoring videos. You are also encouraged to make a small donation if you find my videos to be of use to you (remember: a professional private tutor would charge you MUCH more than what you are getting from my videos, and I bet that tutor does not have the experience I have).

I am still working on getting the PDF Printshop modernized and hope to get a merchandise store up soon.

The mathpodcast.com site was created using iWeb 1.0. I am not completely satisfied with it, and may change it later on using RapidWeaver, but it should suit your purposes of getting high quality video podcasts of my free videos.

I also have a site on .Mac. I am having more and more problems getting files published on it, so I may stop mirroring the mathpodcast site on it. I have already switched the links I have on the iTunes Store, so I recommend you use mathpodcast.com to subscribe to my video podcasts from now on.

#11 - NEW E-Store is Up and Running

Wed, 4 Jun 2008 06:52:54 -0700

I finally had a chance to re-design my e-store to make it look more modern. The rest of the videomathtutor.com site will soon follow.

Click on the image to visit:

#10 - MathPodcast.com - COMING SOON

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 06:56:35 -0700

I just created a new domain: mathpodcast.com. I got it through Yahoo. They offer unlimited storage and bandwidth, and at a good price too! What I want to do with this site is to have Apple TV quality video podcasts. The site is under construction, but I am excited about this. I don’t know if these videos can be streaming, but I will try. If not, you will need to download the huge files before watching. We shall see...

I enjoy placing videos here on .Mac, but it severely limits the bandwidth, since I have many videos (and more are on the way!). Nearly every month my alloted bandwidth approaches the maximum allowed.

#9 - My First Webcam Tutoring Session

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 21:18:19 -0700

Today I did my first private tutoring session using a webcam. I used Skype for the connection. It was quite an experience tutoring someone this way. I am used to doing face-to-face and small group sessions, but never with a camcorder. The student needed help with the math portion of the GMAT test she is taking at the beginning of next month. She paid using PayPal. She liked the session and will be doing more tutoring with me for the next few weeks.

This is something I always wanted to try, but is something I don’t think I will be much of, since I do need to dedicate my time to making my math videos. At least now I also know I can help students if they have specific questions on topics not yet covered in my videos. Also, the possibility exists I can do video conferencing calls to help small groups, if need be.

I see this more as an experiment. It went well, but there was some tweaking along the way.

#8 - I’ve been TI-nspired

Sat, 2 Feb 2008 22:40:20 -0700

I finally have a TI-nspire graphing calculator. I will go over it and determine if this is a calculator I want to incorporate in future math lessons. There seems to bit of a learning curve, but I have a knack for learning how to use calculators, so it won’t take long for me to become an expert.

Only the Windows version of the computer software is out now, but the mac version is to be released later this year. I’m using Parallels Desktop so that I can run the software on my MacBook.

#7 - My First Press Release

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 11:42:52 -0700

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Online Remediation and Enrichment Tool From Pearson
Now Includes Video Math Tutoring

Engaging, Entertaining Instruction From The Video Math Tutor Complements Perspective’s Learning Resources

ORLANDO, Fla. – Jan. 22, 2008 – Today at the 2008 Florida Educational Technology Conference, Pearson announced that Perspective™, the company’s powerful online remediation and enrichment tool for students, now offers tutoring videos from VideoMathTutor.com. Perspective provides students, families and educators with a roadmap to student improvement through enrichment and remediation resources tailored to student needs.
Hosted by Luis Anthony Ast, also known as “The Video Math Tutor,” the entertaining and engaging videos, aligned to state standards, focus on mathematics topics that students most frequently have difficulty learning. Ast is a professional tutor with 24 years of experience tutoring students in junior high through college level mathematics.
“We developed Perspective and the Learning Locator to provide states with a way to deliver high-quality, relevant content that directly addresses student needs based on their state test performance,” said Douglas Kubach, president and CEO, Assessment and Information, Pearson. “We are pleased to add The Video Math Tutor’s video segments to Perspective’s rich pool of Pearson and partner-created learning resources. Mr. Ast’s friendly demeanor will engage students and make learning mathematics fun.”
Perspective features a friendly, easy-to-understand overview of a student’s performance on assessments for teachers and families. It is tied to deeper and broader Web reports and resources that align to state-specific standards. Class reports detailing all of the students entering a teacher’s class allow educators to prepare with advance knowledge of past performance. Perspective helps families understand how students are doing, helps educators prepare for their classes, and details what both can do to help each student succeed.
With its Learning Locator™ functionality, Perspective provides students with resources, such as these mathematics tutoring videos, that directly map to student performance on state-wide, high-stakes, summative assessments and are designed to enrich and improve students’ knowledge and skills. Through a licensing agreement between Pearson and VideoMathTutor.com, students, families and educators can access the videos via Perspective’s Learning Resource Library. Educators may also assign videos through Perspective’s custom Assignment Sheet functionality.
“As a professional tutor, I want to use the most effective method for engaging students in mathematics and helping them to achieve at the highest levels,” said Ast. “Through VideoMathTutor.com, I provide high-quality video offering experienced, professional instruction. Now students using Perspective will have access to my tutoring videos that will help them master mathematics.”
These Web-optimized video segments are now available at no additional charge to existing Perspective customers via the Perspective Web portal.
To learn more about The Video Math Tutor, visit http://www.videomathtutor.com. To learn more about Perspective and the Learning Locator, visit http://www.pearsonperspective.com .

About Pearson
Pearson is the global leader in educational publishing, assessment, information and services, helping people of all ages to learn at their own pace, in their own way. For students preK-12, Pearson provides effective and innovative curriculum products in all available media, educational assessment and measurement for students and teachers, student information systems, and teacher professional development and certification programs. The company’s respected brands include Scott Foresman, Prentice Hall, AGS, PowerSchool, SuccessMaker, TeacherVision and many others. Pearson’s comprehensive offerings help inform targeted instruction and intervention so that success is within reach of every student. Pearson’s other primary businesses include the Financial Times Group and the Penguin Group.

About VideoMathTutor.com
Luis Anthony Ast is The Video Math Tutor. The Video Math Tutor engages students and aids them in improving their achievement by presenting mathematics concepts in entertaining and innovative ways. A full-time professional math tutor, Ast offers his VideoMathTutor.com videos for sale on his VideoMathTutor.com Web site. He is also available in the Phoenix, Ariz., area for personal tutoring consultations in English or Spanish.

For more information, press only:
Lisa Wolfe, L. Wolfe Communications, 773-325-9935, lwolfe@lwolfe.com

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#6 - DVD Math Tutoring Store Now Open

Sun, 21 Oct 2007 23:00:18 -0700

OK, it’s only ONE 2-Disc DVD, but I have to start SOMEWHERE!

The DVDs will be sold through a website called CreateSpace.com and also on Amazon.com. I hope you can show your support by buying my videos. The more you buy, the more I make, and in turn, the better grades you (or your students) will earn! What a deal!

Click HERE for more information!

#5 - Rent or Buy Video Downloads

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 18:28:54 -0700

I have finally placed my first video online that can be rented or bought online, then downloaded. This way, you can rent or own the Lesson right away, and not wait days for the DVD to arrive in the mail. I only have “Introduction to Algebra” available, but others will be added over time.

Unfortunately, it can only be viewed using Windows, not Mac OS X.

The only bad thing about this is that you don’t get the Printable Lesson Notes in PDF format. That will only be made available to those that purchase the DVDs. the DVD will also have the Lessons in other formats as well (like iPod, iPhone, and Apple TV).

To see this link, click HERE.

#4 - More Memory

Sun, 16 Sep 2007 22:09:15 -0700

I recently purchased more .Mac storage space so that there should not be any more problems with data transfer rates being exceeded during any given biweekly period (unless my site becomes VERY popular). I now have 30 Gigs to play with and a data transfer limit of 300 GBs.

In other news, I have not been able to get more videos here because of a lack of memory to create DVDs. I just ordered a new 500GB external hard drive from MacMall. It should arrive sometime this coming week. With it, I should be able to re-do all my past videos in a higher quality format and create the much anticipated DVDs. So far, I have only been able to do Basic Math, Lesson 6.

#3 - Finally

Mon, 20 Aug 2007 03:15:36 -0700

First, some praise for Apple:

My Basic Math Podcast is FINALLY visible on the Apple iTunes web site. Thanks Apple! This happened a few days ago. The main image was not looking good, so I changed it. The change was reflected later. Apple also had the good sense of increasing the memory allocated to us .Mac users, so now I am able to get ALL my videos onto here in podcast form. I am working on that now.

Now, I need to slap Apple on the wrist:

Apple still has not answered my recent request to sell my videos in their iTunes store. It’s sad that a lifelong Apple user has to rely on WINDOWS MEDIA for the only way to sell videos online. At least I can provide videos for the Apple TV and iPod/iPhone in my DVD-ROMs. They are in QuickTime movie format on this web site.

I have been busy trying to create DVD-ROMs for my videos. This is a rather painstaking process, but once done, should provide my customers with some nice goodies that will supplement my DVD-Rs.

“Facebook” should be called “Pain-in-the-Buttbook”:

I leaned facebook.com is allowing all to join it. I thought it would be a good idea to join, since it predominantly has students that I can help. My plan was to join, upload all my free videos, and hope students from all over the world would see them!

Well, in my opinion, it is very poorly structured. I have joined other “social networking” sites, and this, by far, has been my worst experience IN YEARS. I had to join a “network” so that others can even know of my existence. I am NOT, apparently, able to be visible to EVERYONE in the U.S. I can pick a city, or perhaps a foreign country. Facebook does not provide an easy way to contact them to complain about this. I guess they get SO many complaints that they stopped providing an email address. I was able to send an email to ONE address, one provided to the Press. I’ll post here if I ever get a response. Oh, when I was playing around with my settings, I only discovered too late that I can only change my network setting twice in 2 months. TWO MONTHS! Since I made two changes, I now have NO network, NO way of others to find me, and I have to wait until October 19th to try to go on a new network. Sheesh! And from the hype I read on several internet news podcasts, facebook is supposed to be the new “in” area to see and join.

Yeah, right.

I think I’ll stick with more reliable and “user-friendly” video websites. You will see those recommended on my website (go to the FLASH area). I won’t bother with buttbook... errr... I mean facebook.

#2 - Video Frustration

Fri, 3 Aug 2007 01:30:56 -0700

I discovered that one of the Fraction videos was defective. The audio was out of synch with the video. Not a good thing. Of course, I had discovered this right after spending DAYS creating different versions/formats of the video. Fortunately, I discovered the flaw before I finished burned the DVD of the Lesson. Whew! That would not have been good if I had done this. So I went back to the master video I had on tape and started over. Oh, well. I also decided to add more information to the individual videos to create better podcasts, so I needed to upload ALL of them back here. I’m almost out of disc space already, so I won’t be able to add all my videos until I can afford it. Sorry for making you all wait.

Another frustration is that although Apple accepted my Basic Math Podcast for its iTunes directory and provided a link, it’s nowhere to be seen on their web site. I will get a link to it on my main videomathtutor.com web site, but it would be nice to have it featured in iTunes. Oh, well.

#1 - Welcome to my Official Blog

Fri, 20 Jul 2007 11:03:51 -0700

Today I published my first series of podcast videos on this .Mac site. I decided to start with Basic Math, Lesson #6 since it deals with fractions. This is a subject MANY students find difficult to learn. Don’t worry, over time, I will add all my other free lessons here and even some “Sneak Peaks” of the “Premium” ($$$) Math Tutoring Lessons. At this time, I only have 1 Gigabyte of memory to “play” with, so I am limited to how much I can upload to this site. Over time, I will get 4 Gigs. This should be enough to make my podcasts available to all.

Yesterday, I purchased some software called VisualHub. It allows me to convert my Quicktime movies into Windows Media format. With this, I plan to make my premium videos not only available for sale through the mail, but you will soon be able to rent and purchase them online for immediate viewing. These videos will be for sale on AOL and on other web sites.

The other big news is that I am finally converting my CD-ROMs to DVD-Rs. this is a rather time consuming task, since I need to create iMovie versions of the videos I saved on miniDV tapes. I was able to improve the sound quality by reducing the background noise, but do keep in mind that at the time I made these videos, I was using a rather cheap microphone. Pops and buzzing noises crept into the videos now and then. I now have a better wireless mic, so this problem should be a thing of the past for the new Algebra videos I am making now. I am going to make iDVD versions that can be seen in both NTSC and PAL formats, so that people in most countries can watch these videos. The videos will be in widescreen format ONLY, and if you try to watch them on a standard (4:3) TV, you won’t see much, so you have been warned!