Advantages/Disadvantages of Technology in a Mathematics Classroom

Advantages of Integrating Technology

Roblyer and Doering (2013) state, “Technology also provides learners with the opportunity to visualize and make more concrete the generally abstract world of mathematics” (p. 310). Technology in the mathematics classroom gives students the ability to see these abstract concepts that are being described so that they are able to grasp the given concept and apply it to their work. Roblyer and Doering (2013) also go on to state that technology in the mathematics classroom can help “bridge gap between abstract and concrete with virtual manipulatives…allow representation of mathematical principles… supporting mathematical problem solving” (p. 310-315). Technology in the mathematics classroom serves as a visual tool for students to help in problem solving. The following website gives professional insight to why and how technology is such a vital tool in a mathematics classroom. http://www.nctm.org/Standards-and-Positions/Position-Statements/Technology-in-Teaching-and-Learning-Mathematics/

Disadvantages of Integrating Technology

While using technology in a classroom has numerous advantages, there are still some disadvantages. Mathematics requires much practice to become successful. Sometimes, technology fails when it is used to take the place of this practice. Roblyer and Doering (2013) state, “Teachers should consider an appropriate combination of off- and on- computer activities” (p. 310). The text also refers to “math wars” which is the debate of “those who believe math should be explicit and teacher-directed or those who favor student-directed learning” (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 310). However, Roblyer and Doering (2013) go on to state that there is “current emphasis in mathematics instruction… on learning higher order mathematics skills, student often need more resources to support the practice of basic skills” (p. 317). So, although there is the disadvantage of great debate of how technology should be used, both sides seem to agree that it should be used, as long as it is used appropriately. The following website is an article in which the advantages and disadvantages of using technology in a mathematics classroom was analyzed in relation to the attitudes that teachers and students held towards it. http://www.icaseonline.net/sei/15-02-2004/15-02-2004-139_151.pdf

Specific Activities, Programs, Etc. 

One useful tool that I will use in my classroom are virtual manipulatives, which Roblyer and Doering (2013) define as “replicas of real manipulatives that are accessed via the Internet and can be manipulated through a keyboard or other input device” (p. 312). This tool gives students a visual representation of concepts that is more affordable than purchasing classroom sets. Graphing calculators  are another useful tool that can be used to solve problems more efficiently. A Computer algebra system gives students a visual representation and helps them to solve equations in a shorter amount of time.

Flip Chart

• http://www.prometheanplanet.com/en-us/Resources/Item/40793/graphng-linear-equations#.VQ2xUY7F9KY

Graphing Linear Equations

This Promethean flipchart is an example of the technology hardware of “display technology” because it “supports whole-class or large-group demonstrations of information from a computer”  (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 11). This flipchart is an example of the software of “instructional” because this program is “designed to teach skills or information through demonstrations, examples, explanations, or problem solving” (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 11). This flipchart begins with an introduction to the lesson. It follows with student interactive slides where students can practice graphing points and lines. It concludes with an application and an activity asking students to summarize what was learned.

This Promethean flipchart would be used on an interactive whiteboard, which Roblyer and Doering (2013) define as “screens that are connected to a computer and digital projector and allow information projected on the screen to be manipulated with special pens or one’s hands” (p. 147). Using this resource, students will be able to solve problems more efficiently. This is an example of technology used based on problem solving. This technology is used to help students solve problems and enhance the lesson.

Roblyer and Doering (2013) give many essential conditions for technology integration. The most important condition to me is “skilled personnel (p. 68). Roblyer and Doering (2013) state, “Because technology resources and applications change so quickly, continuing professional staff development in technology resources and applications remains an essential condition for effective technology integration (p. 68). It is vital for teachers using technology to have training and be kept up to date on the resources that they are using. My flipchart as a resource is useless if I do not know how to use it.

There are many software support tools available for a teacher’s use. Roblyer and Doering (2013) state that these software support tools can offer improved efficiency and productivity, improved appearance of product, better accuracy and timeliness of information, and more support for interaction and sharing” (p. 140-141). My flipchart would fall under what Roblyer and Doering (2013) refer to as “content-area tools” because it “supports teaching and learning activities in various content areas” (p. 141).

Roblyer, M.D., Doering, A. (2013). Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching (6^th ed.). Boston: Pearson.

Website Evaluations

Search Engines

According to Roblyer and Doering (2013), search engines are “special searching programs to help us locate things” (p. 219). This resource can be useful in helping students locate things for the classroom. If a student is having difficulty understanding a mathematics concept, they have the ability to do a search via a search engine to find resources that can help them understand the concept in which they are having difficulty with. The students have the option of performing a “subject index search” or a “keyword search” (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 219).

Website Evaluation Video

This video will help students in evaluating websites. I like how this video discriminates between websites that are used for research and websites that are used to gather facts. Some websites may be useful for quick information but not for a research paper. This information is good for students in their everyday life. This video is also interesting in that it applies to an activity, rather than just a lecture. This video discusses using a website for the purpose of “information collection and analyses” (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 239).

Favorite Web Site #1

My favorite website is khanacademy.org. This website has “good structure and organization” (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 255). This website is easy to navigate and is organized in a useful, clear way. Pages are labeled clearly making it easy for the user to distinguish between which hyperlinks take them to which pages. This would be useful in a classroom for students to use as a resource. Many resources are located in one website with tutorial videos. The easy design makes it student friendly for navigation.

Favorite Web Site #2 (must be an example wiki)

http://mrallens.wikispaces.com/

This is the link to a classroom Wiki that I evaluated and found was a good website. The thing that I liked about this website was the easy navigation. According to Roblyer and Doering (2013), “Pages should always load very quickly. It’s easy to get around in the site. Links are provided so that you can get back to the main page from any part of the site” (p. 255). This Wiki site has all of these features. Although the front page does not have great visual design, the other pages have good, simple designs. All of the links are located on the left side of the page, making it easy to navigate between pages. This website would be useful in a classroom because it has a lot of information for the students. I would model my Wiki after this one because it has organized information. A student does not have to spend a lot of time scrolling, seeking a certain file. The files and links are clearly labeled, for the ease of the user.

Hypermedia Tools

Commercial Hypermedia Product

The website Khanacademy.org would be an example of a reference material that could be useful in my classroom. This program comes at no cost to the user. This product is also accompanied by a search tool to “make searching for information in the application both easy and efficient” (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 176). I can use this resource in my classroom by having it available for student use. This program allows me to search and recommend lessons to students. There are options for the students to test themselves and review. This product is interactive. If I am covering a certain mathematical lesson and I feel like the students may need extra help, I can recommend a lesson on that concept so that they can get extra practice. I can also use it as help for a test review. This will help keep students engaged while they are learning the desired concepts. Keeping students engaged helps students to better retain the knowledge. Roblyer & Doering (2013) state, “Students who enjoy instruction are more likely to focus more attention on it” (p. 178).

Chosen Multimedia Authoring Tool

My chosen multimedia authoring tool is virtual environments. Under this category, I have specifically chosen virtual manipulatives, which is “replicas of real manipulatives that are accessed via the internet” (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 194). I have chosen this site because I have found that it would be very useful in a mathematics classroom. The link is as follows: http://illuminations.nctm.org/. This tool is useful for “reinforcing critical mathematics skills, such as numbers and operations, geometry, and measurement” (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 195). This tool even comes with objectives and lesson plans. This tool represents a “real or imaginary world in which the user interacts through multiple senses…” (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 193). Students can interact with graphics, play games, manipulate graphs, and many other useful tools that would be useful in a mathematics classroom. Students could apply their knowledge that they learn in class to these interactive tools to reinforce the concepts and learn real world applications. The following video is an example from a teacher on how to use virtual manipulatives in the classroom. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2cOV-iaKgE

The "Basic Three"

Word Processing Software

Word processing is in the top running for the most diverse software available. It allows teachers to “support any directed instruction or constructivist activity” (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 116). My favorite use of word processing is that documents can be saved and used again. Roblyer and Doering (2013) state, “Word processing helps teachers use preparation time more efficiently by letting them modify materials instead of creating new ones” (p. 116). There are such a variety of uses for this software that any teacher can use it as a tool for learning in any type of classroom. One issue that may arise from this software is that it allows teachers to follow the same pattern of instruction instead of seeking new ideas to help improve their classroom.

Spreadsheet Software

Spreadsheet software is such a useful tool in a classroom. Using a spreadsheet can help “organize and manipulate numerical data” (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 122). The thing that I like the most about spreadsheet software is that it allows students to preform calculations and vary problems to observe different outcomes. Roblyer and Doering (2013) claim “spreadsheets help people visualize the impact of changes in numbers” (p. 122). Having this tool makes doing mathematics more enjoyable. One disadvantage of  this software is that this is a more complicated software to use and may take more instructional time teaching how to use it.

Presentation Software

Presentation software is a great tool for the classroom if used appropriately. According to Roblyer and Doering (2013), “presentation software… helps communicate complex information more quickly” (p. 115). Presentation software can be used to supplement a lecture to help student’s connect a visual to a concept. One disadvantage of presentation software is that it is generally misused. However, if a teacher can learn to use this software correctly, it will greatly benefit their classroom by “helping organize and topic and enhancing the impact of spoken information” (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 134).

Classroom Use

All of the software mentioned above can be easily integrated into a mathematics classroom. One software that I think could be particularly useful in my classroom is presentation software. I can use this software to incorporate graphics into a lecture. As a teacher, I plan of focusing my classroom on real world math. If I can incorporate real world pictures and data, it will help to engage the students even more. In this video, I like how he shows how he uses PowerPoint and real world pictures rather than only textbook graphics.

http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_meyer_math_curriculum_makeover?language=en

References

Roblyer, M.D., Doering, A. (2013). Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching (6^th ed.). Boston: Pearson.