Technology and Math Comprehension

Using technology in the classroom is a great way to teach mathematics. Having technology like animations and different sources online really helps math come alive for the students and helps them visualize concepts a lot better. "At the end of year nine, more than 80 percent of the 426 students surveyed said they believed they could learn new things in mathematics more easily than at the start of year seven, with 71 percent of students reporting that they though it was easier to remember things when they used the interactive whiteboard." (Prabhu, 2010) 

It was researched that using technology in the classroom helps children do three things:

• Get motivated towards learning
• Helps them with classroom enjoyment 
• Helps with perceptions in mathematics

An example is using whiteboard technology. There are so many different things you can do with an interactive whiteboard to improve student learning. Especially when they can come up to the board and do things themselves using only the touch of their fingers on a board. Its not only useful to the students but also the teachers as well. Teachers have an easier approach to teaching materials with different technology like the interactive whiteboard. While teachers can make lessons that are interactive but educational by using the interactive whiteboard, students get to learn about mathematics and have fun while getting educated at the same time. For example, teachers can have a lesson about math and have children come up and click and drag certain shapes or problems to go with what they are learning about at the time. You can also do this with math as well. Maybe the teachers can put steps down of how to solve a problem and the student can come up and drag with their fingers the steps into order that they learned it. Teachers can also do jeopardy games to review for tests coming up. With children having fun while they learn, it makes it easier for them to understand what they are learning instead of just going in one ear and out the other. 

Tennessee Tech is also trying to engage students K-5 in the art of numbers. "Technology deployed in conjunction with manipulatives, such as pattern blocks and snap cubes that help students understand math concepts, is enhancing math lessons for K–5 students." (Zaino, 2011) The goal here is to have students be more familiar with using a mouse rather then pen and pencil.

There is a grant for multiple interactive tools to use in the states education department which include Macbooks, digital cameras and iPads. This grant also helps teachers in aiding them in how to use these tools which is just as important. We need schools with as much technology as we can get but at the same time we need teachers that know what they are doing with them. We can't just have teachers grabbing at every new piece of technology for their classroom just because they want it, but they need some instruction on how to use it too. By letting students use this type of technology in class helps them learn so easily. Maybe a teacher can be going over a subject for a test and the students can take notes on their laptop instead. They can also use the iPads in their free times to play educational games. 

I know when I integrate mathematics  into my teaching I will be using as much technology as I can for them to have as many ways to learn as possible. It's not only easier with technology but students are more interested in what they are learning. I know when I look back on my elementary school days, the classes I remember the most are the ones where technology was involved and was interactive. In my classroom, I want to use as many online educational games as I can with my children so they can have fun with what they are learning. In the future, I plan on incorporating the smart whiteboard into my lessons as much as possible because it will really help in teaching math. There are so many different activities to go along with those subjects that the the smart whiteboard will provide for me. For example, while I am teaching a lesson on the smart whiteboard, the students can be following along on their iPads. I could teach a lesson about shapes and when I have some children be interactive at their seats, they can also be interactie at their desks. I also plan to use the unifix linking cubes and pattern blocks as much as I can with my lessons because that will keep the children more engaged as well. I hope that the Tennessee Project will end up becoming something big so when I teach, I will be educated on how to use technology to the best of my abilities with my students.

In this day and age, education is changing rapidly. There are more and more ways to teach a subject every day and it's all coming down to technology. It really comes down to children being able to be interactive and engaged in what they are learning and if they have that, it will be a lot easier for them to learn. 

Prabhu, M. T. (2010, March 17). Technology adds to

students’ math comprehension. Retrieved from

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2010/03/17/technology-

adds-to-students-math-comprehension/

Zaino, J. (2011, September 24). How technology can

improve math comprehension. Retrieved from           

http://www.edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2011/09/

making-math-magical