Apps That Solve Problems.

We know there are now a variety of apps that will show you how to solve equations and other problems and there are calculators for just about anything that will take care of solving a problem.

Many that I've seen show the steps needed to solve the problem or they do give a few words of explanations but nothing in detail.

Yes, I've had students use them to get assignments done but its easy to see they didn't learn anything when I gave a quick quiz with some of the same types of problems.

One way I get around these programs is to have students provide a description of what they are doing each step and why they chose to do each step that way.  This means they have to communicate their thoughts as they solve the problem.  Explaining their thinking helps me figure out where the misunderstanding is in their understanding.  Its more of an assessment, just like quizzes are.

One problem I have with relying on these apps to provide solutions is that many students just copy down the answers without paying attention to the steps.  If they use it to help them learn or check their work, I don't mind.  Unfortunately some of these apps such as Photomath may not provide the correct answer if it misinterprets a x for multiplication rather than a variable or the answer might not be in the correct form. 

Another issue is students may come to rely too much on the app for answers so they never take the time to learn the material.  These apps or websites act like sirens in that they offer to do all the work so all a student has to do is click and the digital device does all the work. 

I realize that the math in many professional jobs are carried out by computer programs designed to make certain things easier but if someone does not know what the answer is supposed to look like, they have no idea if the answer itself is wrong.

Years ago, I worked in a college math lab.  Many students used their TI-82's to graph answers for a class assignment and assumed the answer that came out, was correct.  They were surprised when I looked at the finished product and stated it was wrong.  They honestly thought that it didn't matter how they entered the problem because the calculator would provide the correct answer.

I would love to hear what other people think about the use of these apps in class.  Let me know.  Have a great day.