Use of Laptops in studying Mathematics - Coursework Example

How does the use of laptops enhance the learning of children in Mathematics? Use of Laptops in studying Mathematics [Institute’s How does the use of laptops enhance the learning of children in Mathematics? Digital technologies such as calculators, geometry packages, web-based applications offering math tutorials as well as other hand-held devices are increasingly being used all over the world. This paper essentially aims at discussing the various approaches through which laptops could enhance the learning of children in Mathematics. In addition, it focuses on the extent to which laptops could support effective learning as well as teaching within several schools. Various universities are using diverse software in order to increase the attentiveness, learning as well as the participation of students. A study conducted recently in the University of Michigan, one of the best engineering schools in the world, revealed that around seventy percent of the students showed a remarkable improvement in their grades as well as general performance through laptop-based learning (The Online Schools, 2014). Professor Perry Samson from the University of Michigan developed an interactive student response system known as LectureTools. This tool (Moore, 2010) was essentially developed to involve the students consciously as well as stop them from drifting off to various social networking websites. Currently, almost eight hundred universities all over the world are using LectureTools (Moore, 2010) in order to enhance the learning within their classrooms for various subjects, including mathematics. This software has a separate section alongside the slides, where students can make their own personal notes during the lecture (The Online Schools, 2014). Furthermore, individuals who are slightly introverted can ask questions anonymously through a different window, while also rating every slide so as to give the professor valuable feedback. Not only did this software increase the interaction between the professor and their students, but also did so without disrupting the natural flow of the class. This method of learning links back to the learning theory of Behaviorism. It essentially assumes that a student’s learning is passive and any positive reinforcement in the student’s learning would increase the probability of that form of a learning to repeat itself. Since this mode of learning encourages individuals to speak their mind without the fear of being judged, it will increase their participation in the class and thus, enhance their learning within the classroom. Another study conducted in Penn State’s College of Education also revealed that the usage of technology could greatly enhance the learning of the students, especially in mathematics (Koller, 2007). Certain systems such as the Computer Algebra Systems (CAS) can help the students apply their concepts more effectively in the real world. CAS is essentially a technology that works like an advanced calculator, and generates accurate and precise answers along with the entire method, that students generally solve by hand (Koller, 2007). This software does not only deal with simple problems, but also works on solving complicated equations related to differentials, integration as well as derivatives. Furthermore, it also generates graphs, which clarifies the problems even further for the students as well as the instructors. This form of learning is very similar to the theory of Social Constructivism, whereby learning is enhanced through collaborative means. Since these software’s are implemented throughout the university, it gives the students an opportunity to gain more knowledge through means of social interactions with other students in order to understand them better. Due to advancements in technology, the focus has moved from the lessons to the application of math in the real world. For this purpose, professors can easily use software such as CAS to calculate answers to some of the basic questions and move on to the more important bit of the lectures (Goos, 2010). The delegation of the calculation part of the equations essentially gives more time to the professors to focus on teaching the basic concepts behind mathematics, and thus transform them into real-world problem solvers. Since the real world application of such software is taught by the professor within the lecture, it gives rise to an experiential form of learning. Experiential learning (Northern Illinois University, 2011) is a learning methodology whereby the instructors engage with the students directly in order to increase their skills as well as knowledge, through practical applications of the problems. Furthermore, this advancement in technology would also allow the students to investigate various equations even further, while doing so within a short span of time. This will further increase their learning as one of the major components of experiential learning involve the participation of the students in learning content that interests them, or where they have personal goals and needs. Since it will eliminate all forms of unnecessary calculations, they would be better motivated to learn new concepts as well as apply them more effectively (Northern Illinois University, 2011). One of the reasons why the use of laptops could greatly enhance the learning of students in mathematics is because it enables students to work on problems that are way beyond what they are required to cover in their syllabus. Around sixty percent of the students give up on problems because of the amount of time spent on solving these equations. Once this time is drastically reduced, they can focus on working on other problems, as well as increase the time spent studying Mathematics in general. Numerous institutes, including Harvard, Oxford as well as Massachusetts Institute of Technology run Distance Education Learning Programs, whereby individuals can receive online lessons as well as quizzes and assignments on their laptops, instead of actually attending the lectures at the institute (Northern Illinois University, 2011). These programs essentially contributed the highest number of laptops within the field of education and training. The only requirement for Online Distance Education programs is a good internet connection to one’s laptop. Furthermore, various universities have uploaded their lecture videos on their websites for students seeking knowledge, especially in the subject of Mathematics, all over the world. This enables the students to understand various methods of solving different equations as well as learning various concepts, without actually attending those lectures. Another way through which learning in the field of Mathematics could be improved would be through the ‘Cognitive Tutor’ (Rockman, 2003). The Cognitive Tutor is essentially a program that uses the technology of laptops to provide one-to-one tutorials to every student. The professor can essentially tailor the program to fit the syllabus of the class. Furthermore, it allows the students to practice certain assessment questions within the class, to gauge their learning of the material (Rockman, 2003). This software gives review sessions to individuals who have answered previous similar questions incorrectly, while skipping tutorials for those students who answered the questions on their first attempts. This can enhance the learning of students within a Math class by helping the professor keep a track of the difficult sections of the course, and taking necessary steps to review those areas. Furthermore, since most of the assessments are carried out by the software, the instructor is able to give individual time to the weaker candidates, and help them strengthen their concepts, where needed. The weaknesses as well as the strengths of every individual candidate are tracked through the system and their reports are generated for the teacher’s use. The Cognitive Tutor is increasingly being used all over the world, especially by universities in the developed nations. Furthermore, even high schools in the United States are starting to incorporate it within their coursework, especially when it comes to problems related to math (The Online Schools, 2014). This kind of learning is essentially referred to as problem based learning and is based on constructivist theories that were developed earlier by Dewey and Vygotsky. Students are asked to work on various problems individually as well as collectively, while the instructor plays the role of a facilitator. When these students come up with solutions through their own methods, they are able to retain that knowledge in the long term as well. Occasionally, there are problems in topics related to Simultaneous Equations, Algebra, Differentials as well as Integrals that require graphical representation in case a student wants to understand them accurately. Certain software as well as websites enables students to plot various points on the screen as well as draw shapes and make graphs according to different equations (The Online Schools, 2014). This way, students can comprehend the concepts better as they often turn abstract equations into a concrete image, and thus enable the students to understand the problems easily. This kind of learning helps understand the theorems in a detail and thus, makes learning more effective for the students studying mathematics. However, despite all its gains, it is imperative for the professors to understand that studying Mathematics through technology is merely a tool through which they can enhance learning. In order for it to be effective, they need to put in a strong input themselves as well as keep a check on the weaknesses of individual students as well as the class on a whole. The positive effects of using laptop-based technology go a long way, and would ultimately be necessary for further progress in our future generations. REFERENCES Goos, M. 2010. Using Technology to Support Effective Mathematics Teaching and Learning: What counts? Austrailia: The University of Queensland. Koller, V. 2007. Technology-based Learning Strategies, Washington: Social Policy Research Associates. Moore, N. C. 2010. How laptops can enhance learning in college classrooms. Michigan Engineering. [Online] Available at: http://www.engin.umich.edu/college/about/news/stories/2010/may/how-laptops-can-enhance-learning-in-college-classrooms [Accessed 8 April 2014]. Northern Illinois University, 2011. Experiential Learning. Faculty Development and Instructional Design Journal, pp. 1-9. Rockman, S. 2003. Learning from Laptops. Fall 2003 - Threshold, pp. 24-28. The Online Schools. 2014. How can Laptops enhance Learning? [Online] Available at: http://www.theonlineschools.org/scholarly-articles/162-how-laptops-can-enhance-learning.html [Accessed 8 April 2014]. Read More