Integrating Technology into a Math Classroom

              After the Common Core State Standards has been adapted, more educators emphasize on the use of technology in the classroom and begin to shift from traditional lecture-based to interactive and integrated curriculum. Web-based resources and computer software such as GSP (Geometry Sketch Pad) become popular and more teachers begin to integrate them into their lessons. From what I have learned from all of my education courses, I come up with the conclusion that many students do not like math or can’t see the purpose of learning it derive from the lack interactions between students and teachers, and irrelevancy between the content and students’ lives. When I was in high school, my math teachers would just write notes and formulas all over the board, and then give us several examples to work on. That was the lesson, and not much interaction went on during the lessons because everyone was just busy copying down the notes. Without relating the content to students’ lives, students will not see the purpose of learning it. Online resources such as the free interactive learning sites called the Illuminations are capable of making the abstract content more accessible and relevant to what students experience in their everyday lives. Students are able to explore how completing the square works using the Algebra Tiles application, and graph quadratic functions using the graphing tool. As a result, I strongly believe that integrating technology into the classroom can definitely improve mathematics teaching, but the key is that making a successful transition is hard. Writing notes and formulas on the board is how many teachers used to teach Mathematics for the past twenty years, so it is often hard to change if they lack the knowledge that we have now about the use of technology in a classroom. Therefore, I think the key to make that transition is to educate the teachers on how to integrate technology effectively into their lessons first. Otherwise, all the effort that was spent on bringing in technology such as the SmartBoard into the classroom is just a waste of money and time. I have observed several different math classes already, and realized that the SmartBoard is nothing more than a piece of furniture for decorative purpose. Therefore, we must educate the teachers first in order to guarantee that students will have a meaningful and interactive learning experience.