Major Activities
Aberdeen Area Workplaces Visited
A total of eight Aberdeen area workplaces (Table
1) were visited to observe the computer technology used and, where
appropriate, incorporated into university mathematics classes (Table
2). The computer technology used at these worksites included:
(1) spreadsheets; (2) programming in various languages; (3) statistical
analysis packages; (4) Internet; (5) software to solve systems of differential
equations; (6) topographic map packages; and (7) graphing packages.
Table 1. Aberdeen Area Workplaces Visited
3M
Horton Vehicle Components Inc.
Northwestern Public Service
Student Loan Finance Corporation
Dalager Engineering
K.O. Lee Company
Hub City Inc.
National Weather
Service
Table 2. Classroom Activities Developed
Company
Software
Activities
Minitab Quality control analysis
Minitab
Buckle attachment strength
Geometer's
Computer Numerically Controlled
Sketchpad
programming
Data Explorer
Design, administer, & analyze survey
BASIC
Programming to determine revolution
of gears
Microsoft Excel
Calculation of capability ratios
Internet
Obtaining & analyzing weather data
Workshops on WWW and Geometer's Sketchpad
Dr. Haigh attended two three-day workshops in Eugene, Oregon (WWW June 11-13, 1998) and New Albany, Ohio (Geometer's Sketchpad June 23-25, 1998).
The NSF Chautauqua Short-Course An Introduction to Creating WWW Material for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Teachers was an example of a paperless course that allowed participants access to both freeware and shareware. The course was designed to give participants and understanding of the uses of WWW materials in teaching their classes. Although the course was offered on Macintosh computers, many of the skills learned also apply to other platforms. A personal home page http://www.northern.edu/haighw/index.html) and a Web page for the Eisenhower Grant Making Use of Computer Software to Improve the Teaching of Algebra and Geometry (http://www.northern.edu/haighw/eisenhower98.html) were published. Haigh has become familiar with using digital cameras to include photos on Web pages. In addition, he has found Internet sites that could be used in the classroom. Students in Math 480 will be asked to develop home pages and determine uses of Internet for their mathematics classes. Students in Math 341 will work with the Internet and the Data Explorer software package to become familiar with using the Internet. (see Use of Internet to Analyze Weather Data in National Weather Service summary)
The three-day summer course on
The
Geometer's Sketchpad consisted of 24 hours of scheduled classroom instruction
as well as additional study by the participants. Participants were
allowed to work together to investigate geometric relationships, explore
open-ended problems, and discover new ways of assessing instruction.
Emphasis was placed upon demonstrating how geometric and analytic features
of The Geometer's Sketchpad can be used in algebra, geometry, and trigonometry
classes. Haigh has designed sketchpad activities for use in the Math
341 and Math 480 classes. For a more thorough description of
both of these workshops see the "Computer Workshops Attended" section of
the major report.
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Dr. Haigh selected and ordered approximately $2,000 worth of software that will be used in several classes. In particular, the Geometer's Sketchpad license has been up-graded from a package of 10 to an institutional license and the Data Explorer license from a single to a package for 25 . This will make it possible for software use by all students in the Math 341 classes. Software purchased includes:
1. MINITAB 12 Statistical
Software
2. The Geometer's Sketchpad
3. Grade Machine Deluxe
4. Carmen Sandiego Math
Detective
5. Personal Professor:
Statistics Lessons
6. Personal Professor:
Algebra
7. Math at Work - Gearing
Up
8. Math at Work - Pooling
Around
9. Math Blaster Pre-Algebra
10. Math Blaster Algebra
11. Math Blaster Geometry
12. MathSoft Study Works
13. Math in the Workplace
14. Data Explorer (upgrade to
25)
For a description of the cost,
the publisher, and the proposed uses of the software refer to the "Selection
of Software" section of the major report.
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Development of Class Activities
Class activities were developed
for the Math 341 and Math 480 classes. Emphasis was placed upon activities
that will familiarize university students with available software as well
as requiring the students to make plans for how the software might be used
in their classrooms. See "Visitation of Work Sites" section
of major report for examples of the activities developed.
Math 341 Foundations of Mathematicswas redesigned to require the following:
Mathematics 480 Methods of Teaching Secondary Mathematics was redesigned to require the following: