This case study investigated the impact of a spreadsheet (EXCEL) exploration on the understanding of statistical graphs among twenty Singapore secondary school students of average ability. Four EXCEL templates were constructed to allow students to explore four aspects of statistical graphs: zero in scale, effect of different scales, size…

Kinetics constitutes a core topic in both the lecture and laboratory components of lower- level chemistry courses. While textbook examples can ignore issues of time, temperature and safety, the laboratory can not. Reactions must occur slowly enough to be detected by students, occur rapidly enough for data collection in the few hours assigned to a…

The use of group work, in which three or more students jointly produce a piece of work for summative assessment, is an established aspect of teaching and learning in higher education. Opinions vary however about whether their marks should vary according to the respective contributions they made to the work. This paper is based on the assumption…

This paper details a study of knowledge-building activities in the domain of computer software. Thirty-six adults--evenly split among beginning, intermediate, and advanced knowledge levels--were videotaped while they attempted to learn a common spreadsheet package. Subjects were asked to think aloud while learning. Each knowledge building activity…

The use of technology allows students to look at mathematical concepts in many different ways. With a variety of perspectives, studying ideas that were at one time difficult to understand are possible. Mathematics learning focuses more on concepts and less on computations. Various sequences including arithmetic, geometric, and partial sum can be…

This manual is a hands-on teaching tool for beginning users of the AppleWorks database software. It was developed to allow Apple IIGS users who are generally familiar with their machine and its peripherals to build a simple AppleWorks database file using version 2.0 or 2.1 of the program, and to store, print, and manipulate the file. The materials…

This paper introduces the reader to the concepts of binomial probability and simulation. A spreadsheet is used to illustrate these concepts. Random number generators are great technological tools for demonstrating the concepts of probability. Ideas of approximation, estimation, and mathematical usefulness provide numerous ways of learning…

Item response theory models arose from the inherent limitations of classical test theory methods of test analysis. A brief description of those limitations and the corresponding enhancements provided by item response models is provided. Further, an examination of the popular Rasch one-parameter latent trait model is undertaken. Specific…

Spreadsheet programs are used increasingly by engineering students to solve problems, especially problems requiring repetitive calculations, as they provide rapid and simple numerical solutions. This article shows how advanced spreadsheet programs are used in the learning of numerical solutions of two-dimensional diffusion equation using the…

Presents a graphing activity to show transverse and longitudinal waves using spreadsheets. (Author/NB)

Discusses the use of mathematics, specifically spreadsheets, to study apportionment in the U. S. House of Representatives. Topics include the interdisciplinary nature of the study, how population changes affect the distribution, different methods for apportioning representatives that have been used throughout history, and analyzing the data. (LRW)

Presents ideas for using spreadsheets to explore random numbers, electric-potential distributions, function fitting, and the frequency analysis of waveforms. Contains 18 references. (JRH)

Presents attributes of different types of software including Logo, geometric packages, graphical packages, and spreadsheets, each of which offers different opportunities for learning. Investigates the different ways in which the software allows for performing the given task so as to make the mathematics of the task explicit to users. (KHR)

Discusses the use of a spreadsheet program to vary the parameters in multiloop circuit problems. Enables students to better understand how the elements in a multiloop circuit determine the current by allowing them to see the results of the changes immediately. (JRH)

Describes two spreadsheets for producing acid-base titration curves, one uses relatively simple cell formulae that can be written into the spreadsheet by inexperienced students and the second uses more complex formulae that are best written by the teacher. (JRH)