Technology & Pedagogy

Throughout my experience of writing lesson plans I have found it hard to incorporate certain online activities in a math class.  However I have come across some that seem they would have a positive impact on the students’ learning.  The lesson I chose was called Exploring Equations and I got it from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics website.  The lesson plan used a web based activity that showed the balancing of an equation and the different affects each coefficient and variable can have on the entire equality of the equation.  Overall, I believe that the lesson is well planned and designed for the maximum comprehension of the material by the students.  It is very helpful that the students are exploring the topic of solving a system of equations with a familiar item, a balance, to represent that both sides of the equation need to be equal.  I do believe that it is necessary for some commentary throughout the students’ researching because it will encourage them to think more critically about the overall relationships they are trying to find.  The standards that were listed on the lesson plan online were from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics standards, but also do apply to the Common Core Standards of Mathematics as well.  The technology that is being used is the web based activity that represents the equation balance of an equation.  It is very useful in picturing a mathematical equation as a balance and the operations and numbers as objects that need to equal out on each side.  I do not think a different type of technology would be necessary in supporting this lesson because it seems that the online activity would be very beneficial.  

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AgbQGzgMTUO_dFRmLXQ1M2RfSWM3bnRNYW44enYwQnc&usp=sharing

Pencils are Important

The pencil is a writing utensil where you can erase the marks you made with the provided eraser.  Math is a subject where trial and error is necessary in mastering the information.  In order to fully understand a topic, it is necessary to experience mistakes throughout your learning process.  Mistakes help teach you the correct way of going about a certain situation.  While solving a math problem, it is easiest to fix your mistakes, which can occur frequently, while using a pencil.  When I reflect on when I was growing up and the progression of learning math the first thing that comes to my mind is making many mistakes.  However, I also remember always being told to use a pencil by my math teachers.  Looking back I can realize that this was for my own convenience.  It would have been much more frustrating learning new material if I was not able to erase something on my paper if I made a mistake.  Throughout my lifetime, I realize that there has been an evolution of writing utensils which makes learning easier.  There were times when pencils did not exist and ink was the only way of writing something down. When I think about this, I first try to recall my experience of learning how to graph functions, and then try to image doing so without using a pencil but rather ink.  The technology that was used to create pencils, whether they are wooden or mechanical has helped teaching mathematics.  The pencil is a very important tool while learning math and I do not think anything will be able to replace it.  There are many things that a computer is able to teach a student, but there are also things that need to be written down, with pencil and paper, in order to be fully understood.    

History of Technology in Mathematics

Holding hands with the answers.