Interactivity #3

I found putting together this inventory with my group to be both rewarding and a challenge. I discovered that finding ten or more different technologies which differed from the rest of my group to be difficult because there are not that different many technologies to choose from. Most of them were interactive which somehow modeled how to perform some sort of task such as graphing, performing arithmetic, and modeling mathematical ideas using graphics. I wanted to avoid finding technologies which were too similar because I found the idea of this interactivity to be to find various different technologies which perform different tasks.

            Granted, my group mates and I ended up being successful at researching technologies which would benefit a mathematics classroom. I believe that the final inventory is complete and well organized because each technology has been placed under a category which well describes its basic idea and usage. Although this inventory is thorough and varied, I do not believe I will be using many of these technologies in my classroom because many of them do not appear to be efficient and I believe there are other more effective technologies in the list which make use of the less effective technologies and use them in a more well-organized and overall better way. For example, the software “Maple” takes the graphing technologies of the “line graph tool” and makes use of them in a more improved useful way. Now, for a less technologically savvy teacher, some of the simpler programs may be more effective because they will be more likely to understand how they work and how to use them effectively in the classroom; especially if they are a seasoned teacher.

In combination, the technologies listed can be effective tools and should be used in any classroom.