Category Archives: Educational Technology

Educational Technology

Look Before You Leap: iPads in Education

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Happy leap day everybody! Over the last month, I've stumbled across a number of online articles and blogs about iPad integration in the classroom. The contexts and specifics vary widely: Yesterday I read about McAllen Independent School District and their plan to provide an iPad to each of their 25,000 students in grades K–12. A couple of … Continue Reading ››
Educational Technology

What Constitutes Malpractice?

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Two months ago I was in a meeting with a nationally recognized leader in math education when he said, “Any math teacher who does not use technology with students is committing malpractice.” Now, I have been a strong advocate for the use of technology tools in instruction since I started teaching in 1993. But, I … Continue Reading ››
Educational Technology

The Ancient Abacus: Does it have a place in the classroom?

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In a recent post, I shared a video of Conrad Wolfram’s TED talk that explores how the use of computers in the teaching of mathematics leads student to a richer math learning experience. But lately, I've been wondering: Could students find a similarly rich math learning experience through the abacus, a far less expensive … Continue Reading ››
Educational Technology

Mathematics > Computation

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I enjoy browsing the TED video collection, which includes a series of talks by “thinkers and doers” in the areas of technology, entertainment, and design (hence the acronym “TED”). Similar to the five-minute Ignite talks that Key Curriculum Press hosts at various math conferences, TED presentations challenge their speakers to give the “talk … Continue Reading ››
Educational Technology

Issuing a Recall

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I was recently in a school where an Algebra 2 teacher was lamenting how painful it was to allow his students to use calculators in class and on tests. His diatribe reminded me of my stand on calculators in the classroom when NCTM first recommended their use in the late 1980s. I questioned why I … Continue Reading ››