Using technology for math education
How can one use web-based applications, the Internet, and other technologies as tools in encouraging thinking and learning?
Integrating technology into classroom lessons is a powerful way to introduce skills students now need in everyday life and on future jobs. Teachers should be encouraged to become more creative in using web apps as an instructional tool. From presentations to spreadsheets, math becomes all the more interesting once started.
Reinforcing math concepts
One of the best ways for math concepts to retain in the minds of students is through spreadsheets and graphs. Relationships among decimals, fractions and percentages can be easily seen. One idea would be for the teacher to ask students to brainstorm on an average person’s day: sleep, eat, watch television, etc.
Have the students open a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and put these activities in the first column. In the second column, they can put in the number of hours spent doing each activity in a day. The spreadsheet actually requires them to use decimal format, instead of fractions. They can then practice how to convert minutes to hours.
After this, students can turn the data into graphs using Excel’s “chart wizard.” It’s all quite easy to do and as they explain why this activity takes up the most time and such, they can also work on their presentation skills.
Presentations
Another idea for a math lesson would be for students to create a math lesson on his or her chosen topic, and use PowerPoint to present this topic to the class. This way, students can increase their understanding of math concepts, develop some computer skills, and create professional-looking presentations.
Creating Web Pages
Each student can create a personal page but relate it to math. For example, he or she can focus it on a family trip, and it would include locations, travel expenses from the home to the destination, hotel accommodation costs, and other expenses.
Another possibility is also for students to imagine they have P1,000,000 to spend. They should prepare a web page and explain how they would go about spending it. An example would be appliances he or she would like to buy, and how much it would cost. The same goes for cars, car insurance, trips abroad, etc. The student will then figure out how much is left.
There are a lot of ways technology can be used in teaching math. Basics like budgets, means and medians, statistics, among others can be made more interesting by using technology.
Here are some web applications by Apple that can make teaching math using technology easier:
- My Marks – for students to track grades, marks and classes in school.
- Plotter – can plot graphs of functions by entering one or more formulas and the range to be plotted.
- 3D Plotter
- Arithmetic Problems – generates an endless supply of arithmetic problems to train students on their mental calculation skills.
- FlashMath – Math flashcards for great math training
- Visual Trigonometry Calculator - to visually calculate triangle and circle angles
- Sci-Calc – web app of a scientific calculator
- Converter – a unit converter that can convert 90 measuring units in 13 categories
Sources:
Cantrell, Catherine. “Using software applications to teach math.” Retrieved October 21, 2009 from
http://server.math.uoc.gr/~ictm2/Proceedings/pap438.pdf
“Math Web Apps for the iPod or iPhone.” Retrieved October 21, 2009 from
http://karenbrooksucboces.blogspot.com/2009/03/math-web-apps-for-ipod-or-iphone.html
(Published 3 November 2009, Smart Communications Inc.)
