Technology in Mathematics Teaching

Technology in Mathematics Teaching is a collection of selected papers from the 13th International Conference for Technology in Mathematics Teaching (ICTMT) edited by Gilles Aldon and Jana Trgalova. ICTMT aims to create a forum for educators, curriculum designers, mathematics education researchers, learning technologists, and educational software designers to discuss the pedagogical implications of technology in the mathematics classroom.

 

This book is organized into four parts along with a brief introduction which provides an overview of each part. The four parts are organized around the themes of assessment, innovative technologies, mathematics teacher education, and experiences with technology. Each of these sections blends theory and practice in a way that is useful to both researchers and practitioners.

 

Part I (Digital Technologies and Assessment) focuses on the potential for the use of technology to inform formative assessment in mathematics classrooms. Assessment technologies are discussed in this section in the context of polling software, dynamic geometry environments (DGE), and computer algebra systems (CAS) integrated smartphone apps. The common theme that arises in this section is that technology can help to supplement teachers’ decisions in the assessment process, but should not replace the teacher.

 

In Part II (Innovative Technologies and Approaches to Mathematics Education), authors discuss two separate, yet equally important challenges. The first being the exploration of the potential of emerging technologies in the mathematics classroom, such as virtual reality and interactive textbooks. Secondly, researchers and practitioners must find innovative ways of using technologies that already exist, and may have been around for decades. Practical applications of innovative uses for both emerging and existing technologies are presented throughout this section.

 

The focus of Part III (Mathematics Teachers’ Education for Technological Integration) is the impact of technology on mathematics teacher professional development. One such example of an emerging technology is the advent of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC's), which provide training to thousands of asynchronously. Each chapter in this section provides the reader with a theoretical framework that could be used to develop and analyze technology-integrated professional development programs.

 

The final section of this book, Part IV (Teaching and Learning Experiences with Digital Technologies), centers around John Dewey’s notion of experience as it relates to the use of technology. Three studies are presented which analyze student experiences using 3D modeling software, dynamic geometry and algebra software, and computer based learning environments. In each case, the authors discuss how various features of a given technology can impact how students make sense of mathematical concepts.

 

Because of the aim and scope of ICTMT, Technology in Mathematics Teaching may be recommended for both those conducting research in the area of technology in mathematics teaching as well as those wanting to incorporate the use of technology in their classroom (K-12 teachers, mathematics teacher educators, mathematicians). This could also be used as a supplemental textbook for a course designed for a graduate-level mathematics education courses focused on the use of technology for teaching. In any case, this book provides the reader with a broad overview of the major issues and challenges facing the field of technology in mathematics education.

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Dr. Blain Patterson (pattersonba@vmi.edu) is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Applied Mathematics at the Virginia Military Institute. His research focuses on teacher content knowledge as well as improving teaching and learning in undergraduate mathematics classrooms.