Let us have a hindsight of some of the technological breakthroughs in teaching Maths all through the
K-12 curriculum. What are these apps or gadgets or technology that we can utilize in order to further hone our teaching skills now that we have techie kids slowly getting bored with routinary classroom instruction? What particular helps can these technological advancements make and how does it impact our teaching to proportional results?
- Mathway – Available in Google Play Store, this app can work online & offline and needs to be downloaded only in an android phone. It serves as an over all problem solver and a graphing calculator as well. It can solve equations of any degree, factor math expressions, and check on virtually everything.
- Projector– Optimum best is at 3,000 lumens, projectors show the landslides and different packets of outline learning and not only that, it could show real time exercises on the internet. It shows slides and powerpoint presentations in vivid colors and in such amazing & vivid style.
- TV– works just like the projectorwhen it is not used to entertain.It is an alternative to when projectors are not available. Smart TVs may function just like our regular laptops and desktops. Some even work and receive wifi in their screens and touchscreen-able.
- Scientific Calculator– may sometimes be allowed by teachers especially in Trigonometry where interpolation and trigonometric tables have become a thing of the past. Some also have statistical and graphical features.Calculators can be used in teaching in a good way or bad way- it all depends on the teacher’s approach. Calculator in itself, is not bad or good- it is just a tool. It is used a lot in today’s society, so students should learn how to use it by the time they are about to finish school.
- Spreadsheet – Have you tried using spreadsheets in teaching Mathematics? You can make your pupils explore and create different charts based on the spreadsheet – line, bar and circle graphs.. We can have them make up their own survey questions, then place the data they collect into a spreadsheet.
- Multimedia – Different Youtube videos explain thoroughly mathematical concepts and may be used as an alternate way to learn. We can download these videos using Youtube downloader or other apps used to download special Youtube or similar videos. Many of these videos are presented by acknowledged mathematicians and experts in the field of teaching. They have clear and accurate presentations which many students will love.
- Smart Board – It is an interactive whiteboard that uses touch detection for user input- e.g. scrolling, right mouse click – in the same way normal PC input devices , such as a mouse or keyboard, detect input. A projector is used to display a computer’s video output on the interactive whiteboard, which then acts as a large touchscreen. The Smart Board interactive whiteboard typically comes with four pens, which use digital ink and replace traditional whiteboard markers. Users can select the ink colors they want to use – red, blue, green or black – by pressing the corresponding button on the pen tray. This is not yet readily available in our Division schools.
Let it be clear that these technological breakthroughs cannot equate the heart and mind of a passionate teacher. There is no substitute for such. These technological advancements are designed to merely complement the facilitating role of the teacher in gruelling out clear instructions and guides towards 21st century learning. We cannot have the driving force to learn from these modern day tools of learning without the motivation of a caring teacher, one from whom his students draw the excitement, the thrill and the energy in solving math problems. In the end these are just our instruments for verifying answers and gives enormous thrills to learning brought about by the motivations of an effective Math teacher.
By: Ronaldo V. Tiangco | MT I | MNHS Poblacion
