Week 6 - Technology in the Classroom

This week we talked about having technology in today's classrooms and how it can benefit but also hinder education. However, it would only hinder education if the lesson plan didn't evolve with the technology. We aren't teaching the same way that we learned when we were in school because we are able to delve deeper into the understanding of the math concepts through the use of technology. We can ask more open ended questions that cannot be solved directly with the technology but with the technology the students can try out their ideas to see if their answer is correct. This way the technology is not doing the work for the student; the student still needs to know the basic knowledge surrounding the concept in order to solve the problem. Plus, there are multiple answers to open ended questions, so if there are a few students flying through the problems you could ask them to find an additional solution to each problem. We can turn any technology hindrance into beneficial technology by asking the right questions.

Even if the students don't know the correct terminology yet, they can still use technology to start to learn about a math concept. In class this week we used Desmos teacher and Desmos student to play a version of the game guess who. Instead of defining characteristics of the different characters, we had to define different characteristics to determine which parabola the other person has chosen.

We were partnered up randomly through Desmos student and played a game where we each took turns guessing the other person's parabola. This is a fun interaction for a class because they get to use technology, and they increase their knowledge of parabolas. If the students don't yet know the proper terminology of zeros/roots, vertex and so on they can still play this game; they will just need to find different ways to get their point across to the other person. This game also got us to connect with people in the classroom that we wouldn't normally connect with. The first round I was partnered up with two people that I had never talked to before and I found it interesting to connect with them through the game. This game could help the class to connect with each other, even if they wouldn't normally talk to each other inside or outside the classroom.

Technology is a beneficial addition to the classroom and |I believe that it should be used whenever it can because it helps to connect the class, not only to each other but to the learning as well, it helps us to delve deeper into mathematical understanding, and it gives students a visual aid that they can interact with. As long as the teacher knows how to use the technology and they have built their lesson plan around the technology, using it to the best of its capabilities, technology should always benefit the students' learning.