Originally posted by David CHO on October 13, 2019
For my A1 assignment, I’ve chosen to create a blog focusing on a mobile application called Qanda which helps solve math and science problems for students. Students can ask questions by taking a photo of the problem and A.I system finds the solutions automatically. Also, teachers can explain through the app by 1:1 chat.
Here is the link to my blog: https://zanyyoun0.wixsite.com/etec523david
There is a discussion page on my blog so thoughts and opinions are always welcome. Thank you!
I’ve been very intrigued by mobile “point and shoot” style math apps as of recent, but they all seem to be somewhat limited to solving algebraic expressions. This app claims to go beyond that, which left me curious as to its reliability. Checking out David’s blost post, it briefly talks about the functionality of the app and how to operate it, but there isn’t any critical analysis included. I opted to try the app out myself, skeptical of how well it would perform.
So, what does the app claim to do? When you take a picture of your math (or science) questions, it uses Optical Character Recognition to identify your question from its database of previously submitted problems. If your question is in the database, it provides you with a worked solution, generally done by hand and uploaded as a photo. If the question is not there, as was the case with my questions (I tried several from a B.C. Pre-calculus 11 textbook and the app did not find any relevant matches), you have the ability to ask a verified tutor for help (this generally costs money to do, but you are provided with some free credit to purchase a few solutions when you first start). I asked for a solution and received one within about 10 minutes from an actual human being (and it appeared to be correct).
I find this really fascinating, and a meeting point of so many of the topics I’ve focused my attention on recently within mobile technology. I’ve wondered about the ways that students can gain on-demand help for more complex questions including word problems, how to authenticate student work with the prevalence of tutors, and also how I can personally better monetize my own skills as a math educator. Apps like this may be part of the answer, and I’m definitely interested in pursuing it further.