How should technology be used in mathematic and science teaching and learning?

From the previous posts, I have written about the ways on how Science and Mathematics should be taught. Before we moved on further, the term technology is not strictly confined to the use of calculators, computers and any other sophisticated gadgets. Technology has been an essential tool in teaching and learning in which it simplify things that needs to be simplified while some other technology also expand things that needed further clarification, way back from the use of abacus!

The need to search for meaning, to resolve problems, to communicate findings, and to measure and to explain phenomena around us in teaching and learning science and mathematics also need the use of educational tools in which we can use to search, sort and create new information. This is further strengthened by the fact that humans have different ways of seeing things, thinking and solving problems in which the necessity to use the assistance of technology to measure, record, quantify, compare, classify, analyse data and link our ideas as well as to explain things in order to achieve the desired learning goals.

One of the important things in which technology contributes is helping the children to link what they have known and towards a more abstract thinking. Traditionally, geoboards have been used to represent geometrical figures while now ICT can continue on in which the use of geoboard is quite limited to 2-D figures. It has opened up new doors to the teaching and learning of science and mathematics with the use of multiple representations such as numeric, graphical as well algebraic mathematical functions.

The use of computer software to construct, compute and to visually represent any outcome also have open up new possibilities in teaching and learning science and mathematics. Thus this will also promote a higher-order thinking among the pupils.

Newer technologies such as the internet helps the students to achieve more by using it to explore by themselves further where knowledge or truth is no longer limited due to the time and distance factor. Old and new technologies have been useful in order to keep the lesson interesting, more hands on and giving more opportunities to the students. What I mean by giving more opportunities is that technology has helped in reducing learning impairments. The use of different media to teach science and mathematics has helped to facilitate many children in their learning because these children also have a variety learning styles and learning difficulties.

As technology has greatly enhanced teaching and learning, it is important for the teachers to embrace to newer technologies in teaching and learning mathematics and science and be prepared for any possibilities as well as carefully selecting appropriate technology as their tools. The school should also provide the children access to technologies in their learning. Why? The new curriculum is now not limited to the usual pen-and-paper type of assessment. Children can do more to represent their findings such as the use of mixed-media in which they can use words, sound, pictures, graphical information and video and the teacher can ask the pupils to do group projects during the lesson by using ICT.

Gone are the days of the chalk and talk, now pupils can click and surf!