Mathematics with Technology

These podcasts were produced by Judy Chandler who is a mathematics teacher and technology integration specialist for the Maine Learning Technology Initiative. In the first podcast, Mrs. Chandler discusses the some of the reasons teachers resist incorporating technology into their classrooms. Many teachers feel that they have no time to learn new technology or develop ways to include it in their lesson plans. They feel that their students are for the most part successful and that they are ok, so no changes are needed. However, many students fall behind and could benefit from having technology-based lessons. Technology can help enhance a student's learning and provide a teacher with alternative ways to demonstrate learning.

In the podcast "Thinking Mathematically," Mrs. Chandler discusses the importance of encouraging students to think in mathematical terms. Traditionally, students learn math lesson by lesson with the assistance of a textbook. Some students are unable to connect and fall behind, while others succeed by memorizing the procedures and then forgetting them. Mrs. Chandler stresses that students need to be engaged by being encouraged to think mathematically. It is important that teachers ask questions that engage this type of thinking. This can be achieved by incorporating visual models and real-world experiences. This allows students to explore, connect ideas, argue, prove, model and reflect. Teachers should ask questions such as "Why?" and "How do we know this?". This brings up questions and ideas that the students may have overlooked.

These podcasts can be very useful to me as a future teacher. I feel that when it comes to mathematics, many teachers feel that they only effective way to teach concepts is to go through the textbook. There are many computer programs and other technology that can assist teachers in creating lessons that engage students and help make the material interesting and easier to visualize. Mathematics is a very important subject and it is unfortunate that so many students simply memorize the algorithms for a test and then forget it. The concepts found in math can be applied to many real world experiences and it is important for students to fully understand and appreciate these ideas.