Don't Teach Technology, Teach with Technology

Abstract

Graphing calculators and computers give students marvelous opportunities to explore and discover relationships more efficiently than they can by using nontechnological methods. However, lessons whose only objective is to learn about the technological tool are often not especially interesting and may not serve the best interests of the learner. In particular, we think that learning about the technology can occur better in the context of concept development. We believe that such learning not only encourages the use of the technology by supplying a real-world example but also enhances students' learning of the concept that is presented. The technology often furnishes opportunities for extending the original content of the lesson to include insights that could not have been addressed otherwise. An example is the following recent experience that we had with a model lesson presented to a group of high school teachers.