What Are Some Of The Benefits Of Using Technology To Teach Math

 

I love using technology in my classroom and I am always able to provide reasons for using it to the administration should they ask.  Yes, I've had one or two administrators ask why I used it because they didn't see the advantages of technology.

First of all, there are so many videos, animations, movies, and other multimedia presentations available to use in the classroom.  These types or presentations allow students to review sections as many times as needed to develop understanding and skills.  They are also great for students who are absent or traveling and need to keep up with class.

Furthermore, students are often more engaged and excited when viewing multimedia presentations because they might involve raps, music, puppets, cartoons, etc which tend to be the type of videos students like watching.  When they find these presentations capture their attention, they are more likely to go back and review the material as needed and they are willing to watch new ones as they come up.

Many presentations are interactive, allowing students to explore topics to help learn.  Research indicates it is important to student learning to make mathematics visual because visual pathways in the brain are involved when working with symbolic number calculations. If possible, it is important to provide visual representation for all mathematical concepts either through multimedia games, apps, simulations or other digital tools.  For middle and high school students, Desmos or Geogebra provide some wonderful visualizations and activities. Desmos has so many activities designed to let students explore concepts, share and collaborate.  

If you want to provide more individualize instruction, technology allows this to be done.  Students can be assigned tutorials, videos, screencasts, and other instructional media to their digital device so they can work through the material at their own pace.  It is easy to assign addition support material to a student who is having trouble with the concept while extensions can be given to the more advanced student.  There are several sites that provide instruction, quizzes, work, and reinforcements so each student can have their needs met.

It is much easier to find real life examples to connect math to the real world.  It can be done by recording things on your phone and having students watch the video and have a question to answer. For instance, if you are looking at rates per unit, you might record something in the cheese department of the grocery store showing several different brands and asking students which one is the best price.

Technology also allows teachers to set up zoom or google meets with architects, bank managers, construction workers and others so the guest can discuss how they use math and the type of math they actually use in their jobs.  Students are hearing from real people who use math in real life situations while being able to interact by asking questions.  Talking to people is much better than reading general articles on the internet because articles don't interact with the student.

So these are some reasons one should use technology in the math classroom.  I realize that some places have limited internet bandwidth and you might not be able to do everything you want but you do as much as you can.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.