Presents two elementary level activities designed to make math more meaningful with the help of technology. One activity involves learning about banking using computer spreadsheets and stock programs; the other uses computers and calculators to help students integrate mathematics into the study of world cultures. (SM)

Compared was the mathematical performance of secondary school students for whom a graphic calculator was a standard mathematical tool, with that of students of similar background without regular access to graphing technology. Increased achievement on symbolization tasks, especially for females, was shown for students who used the graphing…

Applies Gresham's Law ("bad money drives out good") to educators' overreliance on technology. Introducing more advanced "learning" technology without a concomitant emphasis on knowledge acquisition allows some students to operate at increasingly lower thought levels. Higher order thought processes will be displaced (and…

Presents examples of students' work when they are engaged in problem solving and reasoning tasks as they determine how to fill bottles with water to create musical notes by blowing across the tops of the bottles, and as they create mathematical models that represent these notes. (ASK)

Examines the use of mental, written, and calculator strategies of numerical computation by 56 upper primary students. Finds that students introduced to a "calculator-aware" curriculum make greater use of mental computation, particularly multiplication strategies based on distribution and compensation. Notes implications for models of…

Features activities for advanced second-year algebra students in grades 11 and 12. Introduces three random variables and considers an empirical and theoretical probability for each. Uses coins, regular dice, decahedral dice, and calculators. (ASK)

Because fractal images are by nature very complex, it can be inspiring and instructive to create the code in the classroom and watch the fractal image evolve as the user slowly changes some important parameter or zooms in and out of the image. Uses programming language that permits the user to store and retrieve a graphics image as a disk file.…

Investigated the long-term influence of a longitudinal calculator awareness approach to numbers on British elementary students' mathematical achievements and attitudes. Teacher and student interviews and student test scores from intervention and nonintervention schools indicated that the curriculum had no substantial long-term influence on…

Examines the idea that the arithmetic calculator can act as a cognitive tool, supporting the amplification or reorganization of systems of thought. Examples were found in which use of the calculator helped pupils work with unusual problem representations and adapt solution strategies in which they focused on planning and monitoring computations…

This article describes TI-73 calculator activities appropriate for middle school students. It was found that the use of the calculator allowed for higher-level thinking and a richer exploration of mathematical ideas by students. [Included with this article are "Dice Roll Worksheet" and "Transforming Tree Worksheet".] (Contains 9 figures.)

In this article, we will describe the results of a study of 6th grade students learning about the mathematics of change. The students in this study worked with software environments for the computer and the graphing calculator that included a simulation of a moving elevator, linked to a graph of its velocity vs. time. We will describe how the…

The purpose of this paper is to provide researchers with a shared framework, terminology and tool to improve the coherence of research into learning mathematics with CAS and to assist its findings to accumulate into a significant body of knowledge. Experience with calculators in arithmetic led to a framework for number sense. There is an obvious…

The article discusses the ways that less successful mathematics students used graphing software with capabilities similar to a basic graphing calculator to solve algebra problems in context. The study is based on interviewing students who learned algebra for 3 years in an environment where software tools were always present. We found differences…

The paper deals with the facts obtained from TIMSS 2003 (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study). This international comparative study, which includes 47 participant countries worldwide, explores dependence between eighth grade students' achievement in the areas of mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology and geography, and basic…

This book, written for parents, presents short mathematics activities for use with young children. Most chapters contain an overview, educational objectives, needed materials, an estimate of initial time investment, introduction and preparation instructions, and activities. Activities are grouped as follows: kitchen math, calculators, measurement,…