Chapter 6: Engaging with Technology

As you're reading this, pause for a moment to observe your surroundings. Aside from the computer you are using to read this blog, how many technological devices are you near? My answer was 5, and it is my guess that yours is somewhere in that neighborhood as well. Technology is everywhere in our day-to-day lives, assisting us with countless tasks; why can't the same be said for learners in the classroom?

This week in class we discussed the use of technology in the mathematics classroom. Some of the topics which I found to be particularly thought provoking included:

-What are some appropriate uses of technology in the mathematics classroom?
-How can we evaluate a technological device/platform?
-When should we allow students to use calculators in the classroom?
-Does the curriculum explicitly demand students to use technology in the mathematics classroom?
-How can we use technology to align practice to curriculum?
-What are some pros/cons of technology?

Feel free to discuss your opinion of these topics in the comments below.

How can we evaluate a technological device/platform?

The SAMR model is tool used by educators to help evaluate the use of technology in the classroom. SAMR is an acronym for substitution, augmentation, modification, and redefinition. Using these four criteria points, teachers can evaluate whether or not the use of a given technology is appropriate for its intended use. For instance, if a teacher asked students to use large data sets to graphically model trends over a long range, the use of technology (perhaps excel) would be appropriate. In terms of substitution, using excel would replace the typical "pen and paper" route of graphing a handful of data points. Although the function is still the same, the program would allow students to represent data sets that are much larger and more representative of real-life application (i.e. water-hardness of drinking water tested monthly over the last ten years). This not only adds a new element to a previously completed task (augmentation), but also allows for significant redesign (modification) and redefinition of the task. The use of technology redefines the task in terms of content, but it also redefines the way students are able to approach the content. This leads me to my next point:

Engaging Disinterested Students 

I personally believe that atop the infinitely long list of "pros" regarding the use of technology in the classroom, sits the ability to engage disinterested students. The students of 2016 have been brought into the world with technology at their side. Having three nephews myself, I see that technology is such a powerful tool to gather their effort and attention. The conspicuous sound of a normally rowdy trio practically disappears when a  "Mindcraft" YouTube video gets played on the computer.

Visualization of disinterested students engaging with classroom material through the use of technology
- Image created on MS paint.

I think of all of the disinterested students in the classroom that continue to be pushed along the education system sitting at the back of the room, giving and getting little attention...Maybe they have difficulties socializing with others...maybe they are bored...maybe the pen-and-paper method of learning just doesn't click with them...Whatever the reason, I personally believe that the use of technology is without a doubt the most effective way to engage these students with the mathematics curriculum.

The integration of technology into the classroom could potentially challenge the way schools and classrooms operate at a fundamental level...but isn't that a good thing?

 “Many schools are organized as they are because they always have been, not because they must be.”
-Sir Ken Robinson

Thank you for reading,
Kevin Lavallee