Technology is changing the face of education. An obvious statement, of course. Everybody from students to instructors to parents will agree. Over 40 years ago, the introduction of the pocket calculator allowed us to change the focus from menial calculations to applying our knowledge to solve problems and discover the power of mathematics. 

Since then we have seen leaps from innovation to innovation. The personal computer. Computer Algebra systems. Tablet computing. Online learning management systems. Every such leap has opened up new opportunities in education. With opportunity comes challenge. The challenge for our education system to keep pace with what is now possible. The challenge to teach intuition and understanding in addition to knowledge. The challenge to make high quality education readily available to a broader audience.

Four months ago we started the pilot program for the Möbius Project and we soon knew we were on to something important. Hundreds of educators joined the pilot program to build interactive and gradeable learning applications. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and we may well be witnessing the next leap in educational technology. Now we are ready to make the Möbius Project available to everybody and to challenge educators around the world to take full advantage of the opportunity that this entails.

At the center of the Möbius Project are Möbius Apps. These interactive learning applications are authored in Maple and shared via the MapleCloud. Möbius Apps allow you to explore concepts around mathematics, physics, engineering, science, finance and more. They are easily accessible either via the free Maple Player or simply be using a web browser via our public MapleNet Möbius server. Here are just a few examples for you to try: 

• Wind Turbine Calculations
• The Cosmic Travel Planner
• Linear Phase Plane Analyzer
• Riemann Sums

You can even vote for your favorite as part of the Möbius App Challenge.

The most exciting aspect of the Möbius Project, however, is the fact that these same Apps can be automatically graded within Maple T.A.. Beyond exploration, the Möbius Project allows assessment of student interactions with live learning objects. The excitement this has generated with educators, which has been greatly evident during the Möbius Project pilot phase, has us convinced that we are on the right track. The Möbius Project feels like the next leap in education. Are you up for the Challenge?