Module 5: Technology in the Curriculum

As mentioned in previous blog posts, I intend to teach high school mathematics and so in this post I present some examples of hardware and software that could be incorporated into lessons for this discipline area.

Rather than considering technology as a teaching tool, educators should consider technology as a mathematical tool as well as a tool for developing student's thinking. A way to achieve this is to have students use the same software or hardware application in a long term series of related tasks rather than isolated uses of a variety of tools with no coherence (Robyler & Edwards, 2000).

There is a debate on the strategies of technology integration in mathematics based on opposing learning theories. The debate centres around whether maths education should be explicit and teacher-directed or more student-centred, based on group work and hands-on projects (Robyler & Edwards, 2011).

Technology that allows for virtual manipulations help to explain abstract mathematical concepts and make them more concrete and easy to understand. Graphic calculators, for instance, can graph equations and perform higher level calculations which enables an improved understanding of functions as well as the connection between symbolic, graphical and numerical representations of problems (Robyler & Edwards, 2011). Similarly, visual displays of mathematical principles allow students to engage and explore the effect of varying factors and make discoveries about concepts. The software application, Maple (Maplesoft, 2015), is a computer algebra system (CAS) which carries out complex calculations and has a programming language that gives users the flexibility to design other algebra applications. The program also has the capability of producing on-screen three dimensional representations of equations. This is a program that I frequently used in my mathematics undergraduate degree and is one that is used in industry and so has an authentic connection to real-world applications. The program also gives students the opportunity to become familiar with a coding language, which is a highly valuable skill to obtain. 

Technology can also support problem solving by helping students to gather data and apply mathematical knowledge in authentic situations. Vernier data collection systems (Vernier, 2017) are a company that produce data gathering instruments such as thermometers and pH meters which students can use to collect data and then analyse it to explore mathematical models of real-life phenomena. There is technology that allows students to explore and present data in graphical forms. Calculator based laboratories (CBLs) provide a link from the data gathering instrument to a computer and contain graphing software to visualise alternate representations of the data collected. 


Technology can be incorporated into lessons as a source of support, where the internet allows access to experts in the field which promotes discussion of maths topics and social interaction. Khan academy (Khan Academy, 2017) is a very popular online tutorial system for mathematics content and the Math Forum Drexel-Ask Dr Math (Math Forum at NCTM, 2017) provides a means for students to ask questions about specific math problems. Similarly, there are tutorial software, such as Carnegie's Cognitive Tutor (Carnegie Learning Inc, 2017), in which students can practise the foundational skills required for higher level learning and provides instruction in a structured learning format. 

References

Carnegie Learning, Inc. (2017). Cognitive Tutor [Website]. Retrieved from https://www.carnegielearning.com/www-2014-pages/learning-solutions/software/cognitive-tutor

Khan Academy. (2017). Khan Academy [Website]. Retrieved from https://www.khanacademy.org

Maplesoft. (2015). Maple [Computer software]. Retrieved from https://www.maplesoft.com

Math Forum at NCTM. (2017). Ask Dr. Math [Website]. Retrieved from http://mathforum.org/dr.math/

Roblyer, M. D., & Doering, A. (2013). Educational Technology in Context: The Big Picture. In Integrating educational technology into teaching. Pearson Education Limited, Harlow Essex. 
Vernier. (2017). Vernier Software and Technology [Website]. Retrieved from  https://www.vernier.com


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