Abstract #1 - Making Mathematics Come Alive with Technology

Summary

This article discusses how to empower students through mathematics. The authors of this article describe how to change the role of the instructor in the classroom. By empowering students, the role of the instructor changes from a dispenser of knowledge to a facilitator of learning.

In this context, technology is a valuable tool in the teaching and learning of mathematics, for it has the ability to empower mathematics students as well as mathematics instructors. What better way to empower students than to provide them with their own private investigator, one which will work day and night at the request of the mathematics student who holds power over it, willing to perform tasks repeatedly, however mundane! (Kimmins and Bouldin, 1996)

The article describes four different roles that technology can serve in the teaching and learning of mathematics. Technology can aid in mathematical concept and skill development, mathematical problem solving, mathematical reasoning, and mathematical communication.

This article also describes how Middle Tennessee State University prepares their education students interested in teaching middle or secondary mathematics. The article describes the classes a student must take in order to graduate and how those classes are beneficial. The classes required by each education student teaches them not only how to teach mathematics in the middle and secondary school, but also how to integrate technology.

Reflection

When I first found this article online, I was very intrigued by the title. On a daily basis, I struggle to find a way to make mathematics interesting for my 3rd graders. I hoped this article would give me some new and different ideas for integrating technology into my mathematics lesson. Before choosing this article, I skimmed the article and decided it had some valid ideas. However, at printing it out and taking a closer look at it, I discovered it was not as helpful as I originally thought. This article focused on middle school and secondary mathematics. The article spent a lot of time describing how to use technology when teaching calculus and statistics. As a third grade teacher, I have very little use for this information. I don’t need to know how to integrate technology into calculus and statistic. I don’t need to know how to use a calculator to graph different lines and how to use different computer software to form 3-dimensional shapes. Overall, I was disappointed with the information presented in this article. The authors seem to spend more time promoting certain software and how that software could be used then they did in describing the four different roles technology can play in mathematics.

While reading this article, I discovered some interesting points about teacher preparation. I feel that all teachers need to have a strong background in technology. Technology is going to become an integral part of teaching within the next few years. New teachers need to be prepared to teach 21st century learners and they need to be able to use technology in an innovative way.

Article

Reference

Kimmins, D & Bouldin, E. Making mathematics come alive with technology. Middle Tennessee State University. 1996. http://frank.mtsu.edu/~itconf/papers96/kimmins.html