SOUNDOFF--A Computer for All Students--Revisited
The introduction of the graphing calculator has changed the structure of teaching and learning mathematics. This made it possible for everybody to receive the benefits of a computer-generated visualization without the high cost of a computer. These graphing calculators over the years have lowered in cost, became easier to use, and are more portable.
The next generation of graphing computers has arrived with the recent introduction of the Texas Instrument TI-92. This relative inexpensive calculator will allow more high school teachers to teach an area mostly untouched, computer symbolic algebra and computer interactive geometry, because it has not been practical or possible. The TI-92 is merely the beginning of the new revolution of hand-held computing tools.
The next challenge mathematics teachers are facing is the teaching of traditional paper-and-pencil symbolic algebra skills. This task has been made obsolete by the more accurate and faster computer symbolic algebra algorithms. Students can get a far better illustration of important concepts and applications of mathematics with these new hand-held tools than with the traditional paper-and-pencil task.
The paper-and-pencil task and other traditional skills must still be acquired, but students should spend less time acquiring it. More emphasize must be put on computing tools. Students should take advantage of the computer technology to become powerful and thoughtful "problem solvers."
The process of changing from traditional methods to a more computer-oriented environment has to be met by the education and mathematics community. Educators should have textbooks that better represents the new technology. Teachers need to be more technology literate. The mathematics community must dispel the image of "doing mathematics" with the traditional paper-and-pencil method.
These reforms can better teach students important skills needed for the future. The use of technology in mathematics will give students an advantage mathematics and related technology. Students will need that advantage if they wish to compete in the twenty-first century.
Opinion
This article stressed very important issues educators, teachers, and the mathematics community must face. The reform will change the course of mathematics in school and elsewhere. As a student, I am very concern about the future of mathematics.
...o get attracted by easy and quick ways of learning things. If the technology provides easy and attractive solutions to students, they will get addicted to it and overuse it in ways which can certainly drop the educational standards. Gelernter disagrees with the comment made by a school principle, “Drilling addition and subtraction in an age of calculators is a waste of time.” (279). He revels the bitter truth where American students are not fully prepared for college because they have poorly developed basic skills. In contrast to this reality, he comments, “No wonder Japanese kids blow the pants of American kids in math.” (280). He provides the information from Japanese educator that in Japan, kids are not allowed to use calculators till high school. Due to this, Japanese kids build strong foundation of basic math skills which make them perform well in mathematics.
Virtual manipulative tools are now also available for use in the classroom. It ranges from simple counting blocks to geoboards and tangram puzzles. Instead of reading about a math concept or working out a problem on paper, a student will work with a physical object to better understand what he/she is learning. The concrete representation is useful at all levels of math, from a preschooler using blocks to strengthen counting skills to an older student using fraction models to understand equivalent fractions.
Technology is a powerful tool in the classroom. Current technology makes the students’ lives easier, both in and out of the classroom. Using technology allows learners to solve, create and collaborate problems.
Throughout the years, tremendous efforts have been made to educate America's youth in the best way possible. In many aspects, America has proved successful in providing schooling opportunities for those who seek education. However; as technology greatly advances, and as technology evolves, so must schools. Schools should take advantage of technology and use it to better the education process. Because of opportunities for development of skills necessary post-graduation, environmental benefit, and more efficient learning causing an increase in student performance, technology based learning should replace traditional methods of education.
With the rapid growth of technology in America’s society today, the use of computers in school classrooms has increased tremendously—an action that certainly has become beneficial to students, educators, and parents. The use of computers has positively skyrocketed over the past ten years. Not only are computers utilized daily in large companies across the world, but the everyday use in classrooms has also become prevalent. Using modern technology to assist school instructors with his or her daily lessons should definitely be regarded as a positive, acceptable method of instruction and not definitely does not prohibit students from understanding or critical thinking.
The activities consisted in the process of identifying a problem that has to be addressed in marketing or an opportunity to increase the brand image of a business or to increase sales volume by having an increased reach in advertising and formulating a strategy based on extensive market research, segmentation and supporting data is known as positioning in terms of marketing. Positioning is formulating a strategy using tactical development phases to carry out a goal to attain an organizational objective.
Towers, J., Martin, L., & Pirie, S. (2000). Growing mathematical understanding: Layered observations. In M.L. Fernandez (Ed.), Proceedings of the Annual Meetings of North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, Tucson, AZ, 225-230.
Over the past few years technology has taken on a whole new meaning. We have moved from the days of chalkboards, to whiteboards, to interactive whiteboards. Our students seem to be more computer savvy than their teachers. Home telephones are starting to become a thing of the past, and cell phones have turned into mini-computers. Technological geniuses have even tried to eliminate books by creating electronic books, for example the Kindle and Nook. It has become pretty evident that being technologically smart is a necessity in today's world.
Technology should continue to be an influential factor in education. Computers have been the most influential form of technology to affect education. Many experts are critical of computers in the classroom. Dennis Gooler suggests that computers institute a gender gap, and that serious questions need to be addressed before computers are allowed in classrooms. He says that boys are much more inclined to use computers, and that girls will be left behind in the technology craze. I think that the way to solve this problem is to have computers in schools and promote their use by both genders. Computers allow for students to learn individually, and to gain access to a plethora of knowledge that has recently become accessible. There are many ways that computers have benefited learning. Studies have proven that computers in the classroom cause students to get better grades, because their learning is based on personal learning styles. Before computers were invented, all papers had to be typed out in typewriters. Computers have made typing papers much easie...
Corporations that place an importance on corporate social responsibility usually have an easier experience when dealing with politicians and government regulators. In compare, businesses that present an irresponsible disregard for social responsibility tend to find themselves fending off various reviews and probes, often brought on at the assertion of public service organizations. The more positive the public insight is that a corporation takes social responsibility seriously; the less likely it is that innovative groups will launch public campaigns and claim government inquiries against it.
In less than a decade, computer use progressed from programming classes for a few of the better students, to literacy classes for all students, to the integration of computers and technology into the curriculum. Now, there is a goal for educators to use technology as a tool in efforts to teach more effectively by using a variety of strategies to meet different needs in a diverse classroom. This will take training and commitment to keep up in an area that changes quickly, but the benefits to teachers and students are greater that the effort it will take to stay informed; computers increase productivity of students and make learning a fun experience. They help students become better problem-solvers instead of just rote learners.
Modern technology has made it so much easier to obtain educational information for classroom or homework assignments. It offers educational games that stimulate the brain and help children who have difficulties focusing on traditional teaching and learning procedures. College students are even taking advantage of online courses that many colleges are offering as an alternative to physically attending classes. Advances in technology and computers will continue to play an important role in education for many generations to come.
There is a need for more computers in everyday life, in homes, schools and on the job. The advancement of computer technology today in all facets of the world, and life are growing to the point that everyone will need a computer to carry out their everyday life. Computer technology today is at the threshold of making life easier for everyone in the world.
Computer technology is one the most innovative advancements in modern-day education. Technology has made its way into the world of teaching practice and principle by expanding the way we approach instruction in the classroom. We are no longer confined to pencil and paper, but have the ability to project and present knowledge in an enhanced way to capture the minds of a generation of students whose society is built around ever expanding world of computer technology.
Wenglinsky, H. (1998). Does it compute? The relationship between educational technology and student achievement in mathematics. Princeton, NJ: Educational Testing Service. Retrieved March 6, 2002, from ftp://ftp.ets.org/pub/res/technolog.pdf.