Journal 2

Speaking Math
Janet Graham and Ted Hodgson

This article talks about teachers and their experiences in the classroom teaching math using online discussions. The authors talk about the benefits of real time discussion and collaboration that technology brings to the educational table. The classroom used moodle as the operating tool. Students signed up and assignments were posted and worked out in this little virtual classroom. Students were able to easily talk to each other using their own language to help with understanding. With kids texting nowadays they have their own languages and sometimes communicating online with each other in their own languages, helps the learning process.

Question 1. Is there intelligence lost in the technology age? I started reading the article and the authors mention the use of electronic tools to help with math discussions. That sounds fantastic. But immediately my mind moves on to a note i intercepted between students the other day. I read the letter, it was some sort of adolocent apology for something. What startled me is that one of the students spelled sorry wrong. I could not believe it. How can you spell the word sorry wrong, in an apology letter? I spoke about this with my friends and they mentioned that everyone chats nowadays. Now I am reading this article and on the right, I see emoticons and comments from students right next to them. The comments are grammatically incorrect and one of the students spelling was wrong. There is a convienience to technology that is appreciated, but is there something lost in that convenience? I remember planning things before I met up with friends. A person could not head to the mall and meet someone on the way by giving that person a call or a text on the celly. Is there something lost with this increase in technology? I think there is, but even I have a hard time capitilizing my i's when I write an email or a journal post. I think there is something lost, but way more to gain.

question 2... Is the learning victim of the technology? The authors describe the use od moodle as the program for discussion. These authors also mention that many chat rooms, or systems do not allow mathmatical symbols, so they try to teach math vocab so the students can express knowledge of the lesson. This is strange to me. In an ideal world, the program lets mathmatical symbols be used, but we do not live in an ideal world. We have to make due with what we have. In this case, I feel like they are changing the lesson for the sake of the technology. I have my own personal frustrations with math, which is why I am weary of changing teaching patterns. I do appreciate how involving students in a chat room can help teachers understand the students thought process, but if is only allows a certain capability of symbols and excludes many of the math symbols... how can this be a fair assessment of a students knowledge?

question 3 How is this feasable? The article states that most the students who need this chat room are the ones who do not have access to a computer at home. The authors go on to say that the chats were most effective when the students were in comuter labs during school hours. I thought abou this and I wondered how this is different from class discussions? Couldn't a math teacher form small groups of students who have similiar problems and accomplish the same goals? I think that having a chat room available to help students with their homework, or to understand a concept is a tremendous idea, but this idea of chatting during class in place of a traditional math class misses the mark. I think a chat room is a great resource, maybe a place where a student can ask a question, or look for help after school hours. I do not think students chatting in a moodle chat room where math symbols do not work is the answer to our students math problems.