The question “what is good use of technology in the math and science classroom?” makes me first ask the question what is meant by “good use”? The use of a word like “good” means, to me at least, that a judgment is being made, that there is no empirical way to evaluate the real question, which should be “In your view, what is effective or efficient use of technology in the math and science classroom?” Effective use would mean learning is enhanced, that learning happened that would not be possible without the technology. Efficient use would technology caused more learning in a given amount of time occurs than without the technology. So, to me at least, good use of technology in the math and science classroom is technology that makes learning math and science more effective or more efficient.
What would effective or efficient technology use in math or science look like? It would be students working cooperatively in groups to solve real problems. Students would be actively engaged in their learning, and the technology would be used to measure or record data, to test scenarios, to produce results, to present findings, to communicate and to
What would be the characteristics of effective or efficient technology use in math or science look like?
- Integrated, not special “high tech time”
- Seamless, easy to move between non-tech and tech work
- Natural, just like using a pencil or a calculator (hey those are technologies too)
- Appropriate to the age and ability of the student
- Appropriate to the task, not trivial, (like using Excel to just add together a few numbers)
- Specialized, if real world mathematicians and scientists use specialized tools for the particular situations being investigated
- Hands on, not just a demo, not just a video
- Involve problem solving, not just following a recipe or a tutorial (although a tutorial may be used to teach how to use the technology
- Student centered and hands on.
I do not think this is just a vision; a vision it may be, but I see it as a possible vision, albeit a challenge, but possible. This is also generic, and is not necessarily specific to the science or the math classroom.
maurice
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