Volume 12 Number 3

Volume 12 No 3

Tablet PC: A Preliminary Report on a Tool for Teaching Calculus

Nicholas Gorgievski, Robert Stroud, Mary Truxaw, and Thomas DeFranco

nick.gorgievski@nichols.edu Department of Mathematics, Nichols College, USA,

robertajstroud@hotmail.com Department of Curriculum and Instruction, University of Connecticut, USA,

mary.truxaw@uconn.edu Department of Curriculum and Instruction, University of Connecticut, USA,

tom.defranco@uconn.edu Department of Curriculum and Instruction and the Department of Mathematics, University of Connecticut, USA,

This study examined students’ perceptions of the Tablet PC as an instructional tool for teaching Calculus. A thirteen item survey was developed by the researchers and administered to 103 students in an introductory Calculus course at a large university in the Northeast of the United States. The purpose of this survey was to collect data regarding students’ perceptions about the use of the Tablet PC as an instructional tool to effectively and efficiently cover the material taught in class. Results suggested that students perceived that the Tablet PC allowed them to pay better attention to the material presented in class, helped them better understand the material presented in class, and helped the instructor cover the material in an efficient way.

A Study of the Use of a Handheld Computer Algebra System in Discrete Mathematics

Robert A. Powers, Dean E. Allison, Richard M. Grassl

Mathematical Sciences, University of Northern Colorado, Colorado, USA

Robert.Powers@unco.edu

This study investigated the impact of the TI-92 handheld Computer Algebra System (CAS) on student achievement in a discrete mathematics course. Specifically, the researchers examined the differences between a CAS section and a control section of discrete mathematics on students’ in-class examinations. Additionally, they analysed student approaches to test items to determine patterns of problem-solving techniques from each section. The results indicated that although there were no statistically significant differences between the two sections on student scores, effect sizes showed that there were practical differences on the final examination favouring the CAS group. The CAS group also demonstrated a greater variety of problem-solving techniques than did the control group. This study adds to the body of evidence promoting the potential use of a CAS as well as providing a framework for further investigations into its use.

To See or Not to See

Ivy Kidron and Thierry Dana-Picard

Department of Applied Mathematics, Jerusalem College of Technology, Havaad Haleumi Str. 21, POB 16031,Jerusalem 91160 Israel ivy@jct.il dana@jct.ac.il

The solution of first order initial value problems in a CAS environment offers an opportunity for studying situations where there is an apparent difference between the actual situations and their display by the computer: the display can show either an incomplete solution or more than what actually exists in the solution. The nature of these differences can be either graphical or analytic. We discuss situations in the various cases.

Constructing a Parabolas’ World Using Dynamic Software to Explore Properties and Meanings

Manuel Santos-Trigo, Hugo Espinosa-Pérez and Aarón Reyes –Rodríguez

Center for Research and Advanced Studies (Cinvestav), Mathematics Education Department , Av. IPN 2508; Sn Pedro Zacatenco 07360, Mexico D.F Mexico. msantos@cinvestav.mx

Mathematical instruction scenarios should provide conditions for students to pose and reflect on questions that lead them to identify and discuss mathematical relationships. The use of dynamic software offers students the possibility to represent mathematical objects and examine their relationships from multiple perspectives. In this context, we discuss an example in which a simple geometric configuration, constructed through dynamic software, functions as a platform to generate mathematical relationships that need to be explored and presented in terms of their properties. Thus, we illustrate that dynamic representations of mathematical objects may help students reconstruct basic mathematical results and identify connections among those objects. In particular, we observe that analysing behaviours of triangles, rectangles, lines, segments, or perpendicular bisectors may guide students to search for properties and meaning associated with parabolas.

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