The Importance of the Internet in a Mathematics Classroom
Many teachers find it difficult to believe that the Internet can be a part of their classroom outside a computer science class. Some teachers are frightened by the idea of the Internet and avoid all encounters with it. However, using the Internet in a mathematics classroom has many benefits to both teacher and student, as well as the entire school community.
One of the most important reasons to use the Internet in the classroom is for the exchange of information. Many students don’t realize the amount of information that exists on the Internet, especially that on mathematics. Students who are easily frustrated by homework problems or mathematical concepts should be aware of the resources on the Internet to aid them. Various sites exist with games and activities to help students with any difficulties they may have.
One famous site is the Dr. Math site at Swarthmore University (http://forum.swarthmore.edu/dr.math). This site has weekly problems, answers to frequently asked questions, and a place to ask your own questions of the ‘doctors of math’. What makes this site so fantastic is that it is for all grade levels, and not just high school or university. Very young students use Dr. Math and so do parents, who would like to better understand what their children are learning. However, Dr. Math is not the only site available to students. Using search engines, such as Profusion (www.profusion.com), and a good keyword or phrase (such as Pythagorean Theorem) will lead students to answers or aids on the topic that is giving them grief. Another place to check for a list of math sites is a server that offers its own web space to the public. Servers such as Yahoo! Geocities (www.oocities.org) or Angelfire (www.angelfire.com) have their own search engines that search all the sites on their server. Mathematics sites number in the thousands on Geocities. (Of particular interest is the Math Ladies Site which can be found at the Geocities site, www.oocities.org/mathladies.)
The sharing of information is a key component of the Internet. Organizations, institutions and ordinary people all have websites on the Internet in order to allow the exchange of information. Teachers should encourage this in their classroom by creating a class website designed to share homework problems, thoughts, and possibly assignments between the students.
A particular idea I’ve been interested in pursuing has assignments given on paper (a specific topic, but many problems with one per group) and then have the students create a web page for their answer to be uploaded to the classroom website. (See example.) This can easily be assigned as a group activity with both strong mathematics students and strong programming students (though HTML is not a difficult language to learn) using their skills to develop the page. If the teacher has access to a computer lab, then class time can be used to give tutorials on HTML or on web page design.
While students become increasingly exposed to technology and less to paper and pencil, they can use their knowledge of technology to create informative WebPages. Students have access to different image creators and can develop diagrams to be included on the page as well as text documents to help show how the group solved the problem.
Once the pages are uploaded and available to the class, then students can share their results to the problems with the other students. It gives students a sense of ownership to their answer and their web page, but it also gives them a sense of pride in their accomplishments. Students are able to show people outside of the classroom their results, and have been able to present the results in a professional manner. One of the greatest advantages to having the websites available on a server is that students can access them at home and show their parents what they are doing in math. Perhaps the students will enhance their knowledge by explaining the well-presented answer to their parents.
Teachers can use these web pages as another means of assessment. While we strive to find methods other than pencil and paper to assess our students, the creation of a web page gives the students an opportunity to solve a mathematical problem and to creatively present it to their peers, and others around the world. Teachers can use the page to assess both the students’ mathematical, technological and creative skills.
One thing that could hold teachers back is a lack of resources; specifically computer lab time and server space. If the school board does not provide server space for the schools, lack of server space may be overcome by using free server space such as Geocities (though they do have limitations to the amount of disk space one can use). Most schools have internet access (outside the school) but those who do not yet have a school network, can still locate all the files in a common folder and access them through there.
Computer lab time is a difficult drawback to overcome. Students should have time to work on the assignment in class, so booking the computer lab is recommended for this assignment to work. Students should be able to share their results with the class and will require a computer to do so. The presentation by the groups is one of the most important parts of the assignment. Being able to solve the problem is one thing, but being able to present it to others shows the understanding gained in completing the problem. Students gain a strong ownership of their work when they can present it to others.
The durability of the Internet is a great benefit to students and teachers. Presenting on chart paper or on an overhead is forgettable for many students. The chart will be on the wall for a few days, and the overhead lasts as long as the presentation, but the website can last forever. It is something that has the ability to stay in one place without end, and is accessible over and over at any location at any time. Students can look back to the website later in the term for studying purposes or even many years later they may return to use it as a reference for something they can’t remember how to do. The fact that it can be accessed at any time helps those students who are procrastinators; students who prefer to study for exams at the last minute can access the problems and solutions at three in the morning and still have the same benefits as those who were studying at six in the evening.
Since the website only disappears if the creator removes it, the site can last for many years. Teachers can use the site as a means of example for future classes or for other teachers. Students and teachers from around the world can access the page as a reference or for fun.
An alternate use for the Internet that teachers can consider, depending on their own knowledge of HTML and the availability of a computer lab, is to present lessons on the Internet.
The creativity of the teacher can be expressed thoroughly using the Internet in this way. Teachers who have a very basic knowledge of HTML can create some great sites with diagrams (made in Paint even) for students to have a different learning experience. Teachers who have a strong understanding of HTML can create interactive WebPages for students to help them learn a new topic or to review their material before a test.
The same benefits apply to this teaching style, but more than the rest is the fact that the lesson does not go away. The websites are available any time of the day which is important for students who cannot be in class that day, for whatever reason.
There are many reasons to use websites and Internet in the classroom. Beyond the exchange of information for students and teachers, the Internet can be used as a helpful classroom tool, a means of assessment, and a creative way to incorporate technology into the mathematics curriculum.