Assignment #1 Technology in Mathematics

At the middle school level students use more technology everyday than I did. Most middle school students have cell phones, full access to the internet on a daily basis, MP3 players, and at least half have calculators.

As a math teacher I can utilize my students' ability to use the computer and the internet. There are many fun games that require math skills along with activities that will enhance a lesson. If a Smartboard is available it can be a great resource for games. Also, the Smartboard can replace the need for the whiteboard. Instead of having to erase the board when it gets full it would be beneficial to open a new page. This will allow you to go back to something you wrote earlier.

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I found an article specifically related to technology in math titled "Learning Technologies for Enhancing Student Understanding of Mathematics."

"According to Bitter and Hatfield (1998), use of technology for mathematics instruction in the middle grades enhances 'mathematical thinking, student and teacher discourse, and higher-order thinking by providing the tools for exploration and discovery.'" (pg. 1)

The first six pages of the article describe the study that was done. They broke it up into three groups: physical manipulatives, virtual manipulatives, and no manipulatives.

"Students in each treatment group received instruction on the same mathematical content. The major difference between the treatment groups was in the materials used for activities related to each lesson objective." (pg. 2)

Begining halfway through page six the author describes what this study means to teachers, "suggestions [and recommendations] for future classroom practice," and finishes with recommendations for future research.

Even though this study was intended to only study the impact of manipulatives, the "scores were [also] influenced by the students’ gender, course grade, homework completion, and teacher."

The author believes that this is why the scores were not as high as they predicted. One thing they base it on is that the students frequently commented on how much they really enjoyed the virtual manipulatives that were used. Also they tended to be on-task more often and for longer periods of time.

The number one recommendation for teachers is: only use the manipulatives (physical or virtual) that you are most comfortable with. However, they should be learning new manipulatives to use in the classroom.

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The NETS for Teachers essentially say that the teacher needs to promote an excitement for learning, create relevant digital learning and assessment tools, and present and model appropriate digital work and learning.

The NETS for Students states that not only should they be able to use technology but it should result in creativity and intellectual growth in the student. It has to have a learning purpose.

Technology is such a big part of our daily lives I think it is very important that our students know how to use it. When they leave school and join the work force they will need those basic skills. Instead of them just learning outside of the classroom, I think it is smart to incorporate technology into the classroom as well. However, I think it is only good as long as it is helping and not hindering the learning and growth process.