Research has demonstrated that textbooks exert a considerable influence on students' learning opportunities and that technology has the potential to transform mathematics instruction. This brief report provides a systematic analysis of how technology tasks are integrated into secondary mathematics curricula by analyzing a sample of 20 textbooks.…

Can you solve the following Problem? There are 200 fish in an aquarium, and 99 percent of them are guppies. How many guppies must be removed to reduce the tank's guppy population to 98 percent? The key to this problem is to work backward by using the data given in figure 2 to determine the surface area of the top of the aquarium; then determine…

In this paper, we report a pilot study on engaging a group of undergraduate students to explore the limits of sin(x)/x and tan(x)/x as x approaches to 0, with the use of non-graphic scientific calculators. By comparing the results in the pretest and the post-test, we found that the students had improvements in the tested items, which involved the…

Since the 1990s, computer algebra systems (CAS) have been available in Australia as hand-held devices designed for students with the expectation that they will be used in the mathematics classroom. The data discussed in this paper was collected as part of a pilot study that investigated first year university mathematics and statistics students'…

This book's 28 chapters are adapted and updated from articles published in NCTM's "Journal for Research in Mathematics Education" between 2000 and 2010. The authors have rewritten and revised their work to make it clear, understandable, and--most of all--useful for mathematics teachers today. To help teachers even more, these articles…

In this article, the authors show how students can form familiar geometric figures on the calculator keypad and generate numbers that are all divisible by a common number. Students are intrigued by the results and want to know "why it works". The activities can be presented and students given an extended amount of time to think about…

Quantitative literacy has been recognized as an important skill in the higher education and workforce communities, focusing on problem solving, reasoning, and real-world application. As a result, there is a need by various stakeholders in higher education and workforce communities to evaluate whether college students receive sufficient training on…

Procedural evaluations of limits of functions provide invariably better understanding of the limits than the approximations using a calculator. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate that better understanding can be promoted if mathematical understanding precedes the impulse to use calculators. The note clarifies the stages when the…

Methods for teaching traditional college mathematics materials in the areas of analysis, vector algebra, etc., are reviewed. Examples of interesting and novel construction problems, logical decisions, generalizations with calculators, and other topics used in an experiment at a technical college in Budapest, Hungary are presented. (MP)

Describes the computation of relatively complex functions such as log x and ln x with a simple four function hand held calculator. (SL)

We compare the activity of young children using a microworld and a JavaScript relational calculator with the literature on children using traditional calculators. We describe how the children constructed different meanings for the equal sign in each setting. It appears that the nature of the meaning constructed is highly dependent on specificities…

Each of the hand-held calculator logic systems found on the market today is introduced, along with some of the advantages and disadvantages of each. The systems reviewed are: arithmetic logic, algebraic logic-no hierarchy, algebraic operating system, and reverse polish notation. (MP)

Discusses the possible impact of the electronic calculator on mathematics teaching. A short account of the use of calculators at present in the United Kingdom (UK) and a list of references are also included. (HM)

One of the most hotly contested issues in mathematics education today is the use of calculators in elementary schools. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) has gone on record recommending the use of calculators in the earliest grades. NCTM's recommendation that calculators be introduced under the guidance of skilled teachers is…

Designed as an avenue of communication for all mathematics educators concerned with the views, ideas, and experiences pertinent to two-year college teachers and students, this journal presents articles and regular features related to mathematical and pedagogical themes. This issue includes the following articles: (1) "Fractals for Freshmen? Or,…