Effective Use of Technology In the Classroom?

postermmxvicom writes "I remember in college I had one professor who, in addition to being a great teacher, really took advantage of the technology in the classroom to illustrate the concepts for Calculus and Linear Algebra. Well, now I am the teacher. I teach Algebra, AP Calculus, and Physics in high school. This year I have gotten a tablet and a wireless projector. Now I can write on my tablet instead of the board, as well as use other applications. I want to utilize this tech effectively for teaching. Would you please share how you have seen technology effectively used for Math and Physics — either specific software or how that software was used (specific or general)?"

In my honest opinion

[Anonymous Coward]

I would rather be taught with less technology when math is concerned.
I just feel that the blackboard is a much more fluid and natural medium to perform calculations. Also, I've seen those ELMO contraptions be a severe distraction, either because of having to align lighting or because you can see the teacher's hand up close. I've heard kids deride one of my teacher's hand because she was old.

Apple Learning Interchange

[Twid]

If you use OS X then the Apple Learning Interchange [apple.com] is a really good resource site. It has hundreds of teacher-contributed lesson plans.

Ways to use the technology

[confused one]

One way the tablet is better than a blackboard is that you can save a written copy of your lecture, and make copies available to the students. That way they can spend their time paying attention to the lecture, instead of rushing to copy everything down. This can make the class more interactive.

The PC can be used, in general, to demo the physics and calculus principles through animation. It can be a useful teaching tool, just don't let it replace the hands on activities usually done in the lab portions of the course. Sometimes doing is better than seeing.

suggestion

[Tablizer]

I've always found it cool and educational when one can fiddle with the various factors in equations and see how it changes the shape on a graph. It gives one a sense of proportion and relationships.

Animations and 3D

[Zaph0dB]

In my university days, I understood a lot of calculus by visualizing an animated sequence (mean value theorem, limits, derivatives...). Animation is a great tool for these things. Same goes for numerical analysis.
Also (from the same days), linear algebra can be (often / sometimes) simplified to a 2d / 3d projection which can be displayed easily by a computer. Forget that you CAN'T draw in 3D or can't animate in 2D on the board - the computer can.
And of course - physics, chemistry, geography, history - omg, history would be so cool to learn with a projector, if done correctly (not just clips - diagrams, arrows on the world map describing population movements, pressures, wars) - all of the "real world" sciences are much more fun when working in the real world. Even political science (if your school offers it) can enjoy the benefits of a projector, even if only as a video machine (watching Marting Luther King Jr. making his speech for example).
However - I don't think that a projector is a "magic wand". It conforms to the equation "invest more time, reap more results". If you invest the proper amount of time preparing good material (and not only video clips), your students would enjoy it immensely.
Just my 2 bits.

OS X Graphing Utility

[catchblue22]

I teach AP Calc, and I bring my Macbook Pro to class. I find the Grapher Utility included with OS X to be really cool. I use it as a quick way to show graphs (one of my favorites is y=xe^(1/x)...slant asymptote and interesting behavior at x=0). I can drag the graphs around, and zoom in and out. This is really useful for showing asymptotic behavior for example. You can also create quick pdf versions of the graphs that can be easily be pasted into other word processing software...this makes test creation a lot easier. The output is quite high quality...far better, and easier than using Excel to graph...yech!

But if you don't have a mac, I have seen some really cool looking software that works with tablet pc's (I've forgotten what it is called). You can write all your notes by hand on the tablet, and they show up just as they would on a white board. But then you can save all of your class notes. This is extremely useful if you have some student come to you and say that they need the class notes because they were sick. I haven't personally used it, so I can't totally vouch for its usability, but it seemed pretty neat at first glance. Be prepared to shell out big bucks for light bulb replacements if you use the projector every day.

Educational research

[enigma48]

I completed my teaching qualifications (Math and IT, high school) in 2005 and did a little bit of research into this. I'm sorry I don't have time to find links but here's what I found:

* When small groups or individual students were given wireless voting devices and some of the lesson was interactive (i.e. "So, what does everyone think will happen when I drop this metal into water?") the students enjoyed and recalled the lesson better.

* When *anonymous* brainstorming software was used, student participation is significantly improved. (Improved participation in general has been linked to better learning for decades)

Check out the ERIC database, I think some articles are available with full-text and you can get some pretty cool ideas just from the abstracts.

Collaboration

[stewbacca]

Math is not my forte, but I hold an MA in Technology Education. The most imporant thing about using technology in any discipline is not to use it solely as a projector. Small group collaboration is the key to technology integration. Students work in teams, with technology being only a portion of the overall task. For example, there are before-computer-use task, during and after. Students need to know how to create algebraic symbols on the computer, which in it's own way, is a good learning tool that is only loosely related to completing the Algebra task, yet improves the technology skills of the student. Groups can work together to figure out the keystrokes ON THEIR OWN, with a little guidance from the teacher. Create a list of tasks, technology and math related, that must be accomplished by the teams. Create a rubric for each task that clearly outlines the quality expected for each task. Before long, students will forget they are even using technology, while at the same time they'll be learning how to use technology. And surprise, they'll even start getting the math part too!

A great reference for better tech teaching is the International Society for Technology Education (ISTE)'s NETS standards found at iste.org

Re:The problem with powerpoint...

[Attila Dimedici]

It was referenced here on slashdot http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/04/04/131924 7 [slashdot.org]