Excel, Microsoft's spreadsheet program, offers several tools which have proven useful in solving some optimization problems that arise in operations research. We will look at two such tools, the Excel modules called Solver and Goal Seek--this after deriving an equation, called the "cash accumulation equation", to be used in conjunction with them.

When the author started his visualization session at Brampton by showing a still from Kate Mackrell's "Kaleidoscope," he was immediately struck by one student's description of a symmetry and reflection line that was quite at odds with what he was holding. Since he had seen the whole thing moving on a number of occasions, the author was hanging on…

The d'Arbeloff Interactive Mathematics Project or d'AIMP is an initiative that seeks to enhance and ultimately transform the teaching and learning of introductory mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. A result of this project is a suite of "mathlets," a carefully developed set of dynamic computer applets for use in the…

Reviews five computer software programs for students 3 to 14 years old: (1) The Graph Club (Tom Snyder Productions); (2) Kid Cad (Davidson Associates); (3) Kid Keys (Davidson Associates); (4) Math Ace (Magic Quest); and (5) Busytown (Computer Curriculum Corporation). Prices, supplier addresses, and hardware requirements are provided. (MDM)

Research has shown that affordances of computers may be exploited in the design of mathematical tasks so as to provide interesting and challenging activities. At the same time, opportunities for learning mathematics may be constrained if the design of the task is not appropriate. A tool which allows teachers, researchers and task designers to…

A fully online graduate program that was developed at the UWF (University of West Florida) has been successfully implemented using synchronous instruction since fall 2009. The hybrid nature of the developed model has proven to be of benefit to both face-to-face and distance students. Aside from the robustness of students' discussions and…

Solving true problems requires persistence. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) states that "problem solving means engaging in a task for which the solution method is not known in advance. In order to find a solution, students must draw on their knowledge, and through this process they will often develop new mathematical…

Since the dawn of civilization, pictorial representations and symbols have been used to communicate simple statistics. Efficient and effective, they are still used today in the form of pictures and graphs to record and present data. Who can tie their shoes? How many calories are in your favorite food? Make data and graphs relevant and interesting…

Formal requests were recently introduced for integration of ICT in secondary school mathematics. As the main issue, students must develop competence to decide when and how it is appropriate to use available ICT tools and to use them. These new requests put demands on those teachers who have not developed corresponding competencies themselves.…

Teacher played an important role in ascertaining effective teaching of mathematics. The objective of this paper was to investigate the pedagogical usability of a digital module prototype that integrated a dynamic geometry software, Geometer's Sketchpad (GSP) in mathematics teaching. The prototype was developed based on Reiser's and Dick's…

In this article, the author explores how to use "PowerPoint" to support the mathematics itself, not just to "present" but actually to "enhance" learning. For the purposes of this article, she has explored three tools: colour, animation and hyperlinks. (Contains 1 note.)

Jim Kaput lived a full life in mathematics education and we have many reasons to be grateful to him, not only for his vision of the use of technology in mathematics, but also for his fundamental humanity. This paper considers the origins of his "big ideas" as he lived through the most amazing innovations in technology that have changed our lives…

Developmental Software Awards were presented to seven computer programs: (1) Kidpix (Broderbund Software), art; (2) FaceMaker, Golden edition (Queue), creative problem solving; (3) My Words (Hartley Courseware) and Paint with Words (MECC), language; (4) EZ Logo, revised edition (MECC) and Learn about Plants (Create and Worlds), math and science;…

In this article, the author provides simple instructions for making an animation using "PowerPoint". He describes the process by walking readers through it for a sample image. (Contains 1 figure and 1 note.)

The authors explore the teaching of trigonometry using a method developed by Jeremy Burke of Kings College. A series of lessons was planned using an approach which looks at moving from a mathematical description of the topic, to a sequence plan, to a set of activities, which students can use to help them come to understand the topic. This is…