Does Technology change the way we teach?

It depends....

Since teaching is both an art and a science, technology does change some of the ways we teach but not all of the ways we teach.

Technology changes what we teach, the topics, the focus, the science of teaching. Because technology is viewed as something new in the conventional mindset, it reinforces the current over the traditional.

What technology cannot change is human interaction, the art of teaching. No tool, gizmo, or latest-greatest can replace the connection that needs to be made between the teacher and the student.

Technology Presentation Overview

Web 2.0 is a great idea and many people benefit from using it.

Now the challenge: how to incorporate Web 2.0 into mathematics instruction.

I spent time looking at applications that I found by searching the web for "web 2.0 mathematics." The list was long. Unfortunately, I wasn't impressed. A lot of what I found was games. Games are OK, but the majority of games are for Kindergarten through 6th grade. I need games for 7th through 12th grade.

Another thing I noticed about the games seemed to be that they were oversold. They were described to be supportive of certain skills necessary for math. But when I played them, I found myself clicking here and there. Or worse, I found myself clicking randomly to see what happened. Not good. I don't think mathematics is helped by WAGs.

Then I remembered the trustworthy National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). Sure enough, they have games. Not only that, they have games that can be played alone or you can challenge someone anywhere in the world. How Web 2.0 is that???? So I played the games, but I didn't challenge anyone anywhere in the world because I wanted to see if I could successfully play the games. Once again, I wasn't really getting much out of them mathematically. I mean, yes, they all involved mathematics concepts. But they were..........just games. On a personal note, I also noticed that the vast majority of the time the NCTM server won. But then I also noticed that although these games were listed as K-12, they were really K-8.

So, I was still unsatisfied and decided I needed to keep looking. Instead of NCTM's games, I looked at NCTM. I ended up finding some interactive stuff that came with lesson plans. It got me to thinking about what mathematics concepts would benefit the most from interactivity and visual learning.

VECTORS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In NCTM's "Illuminations: Resources for Teaching Math," I found a lesson plan, "Learning about Properties of Vectors and Vector Sums Using Dynamic Software" as well as the dynamic software "Vector Investigation: Boat to the Island." I played with it myself and found it interesting (could that be because vectors aren't my strong point because I never had dynamic software to work with when I was learning about them?)

All in all, I am very impressed with NCTM's offerings. I guarantee I'll check them out again for more good stuff.

Is there value in learning from fiction?

Of course, learning from fiction has value. A fictional story can present an underlying truth that applies to all of mankind. Underlying fiction is the human need for communication. The fable and folk tale have a rich and long-lasting history little changed by time and place. Fictional stories appear in similar forms across many cultures.