Maria's popular "Algebra Activities" are designed to teach students algebraic concepts by having them seek out patterns, understand subtle differences in notation, and find similarities between algebraic structures in different topic areas. Many of the activities are really more like puzzles, and all of them are designed to make classroom use easy for math instructors. You can find free activities and much more information about Algebra Activities at http://www.cengage.com/community/mariaandersen.Maria H. Andersen is a professor of Mathematics at Muskegon Community College in Muskegon, Michigan. Her educational background includes degrees in biology, chemistry, math, and business. She is an expert on teaching and learning with technology and has recently begun experimenting with the use of "play" and non-linear learning in her math classes. Maria's research interests lie in math education, active learning, the study of higher education faculty, interdisciplinary studies, and speculation about the future of education. Maria writes regularly about education, technology, eLearning, the scholarship of teaching and learning, play, and the future of higher education at TeachingCollegeMath.com. You can follow Maria on twitter at @busynessgirl.