Alistair Wadden’s Grade 9 class at AWEC have taken to new technology in the classroom like ducks to water. The math teacher says that using new tools such as graphing calculators and an interactive, electronic whiteboard, provide students with a more visual and hands-on learning environment.
Carolyn Sloan
AWEC goes tech
Math classes given new learning tools
By Carolyn Sloan
Spectator
NovaNewsNow.com
“With the technology, it seems they just bite right into it,” says math teacher Alistair Wadden.
“We’re catching up.”
Nonetheless, Wadden seems to be as excited as his students when it comes to using new technology in the classroom. This year, the math department at Annapolis West Education Centre received approximately $7000 in new equipment from the school board, including graphing calculators, Navigator software and an interactive, electronic whiteboard.
In order to become proficient in using this technology as a teaching tool, Wadden and colleague Kerry Fitzgerald participated in a nine-day training session at the beginning of the semester.
“Teachers are very motivated as well,” he says. “They like to get this technology in so that they can bring it to their classrooms. It’s just nice to keep up with the students these days.”
Wadden describes the new calculators are a visual learning tool that can be used for almost everything the students do in math. Students enter in equations, which show up on the screen in graph form. With the Navigator software, he is able to see what the students are doing on their calculators, as well as broadcast tests through the system, which are instantly graded by the Navigator software.
“I guess the visual-ness impacts what they’re learning too,” says Wadden. “The theory that goes along with this now is that if they experience it, it stays with them. Plus, they get to use a lot more technology.
“So we get them comfortable with technology and we get them to learn math easier.”
Students are also eager to take a turn using the electronic whiteboard, which allows them to use touch to manipulate images and icons on the screen. Wadden also demonstrates how he can put a virtual graphing calculator up on the screen that shows students what buttons to push to achieve a desired graph.
Given the ease and delight with which they have taken to this new technology, Wadden says that the tools make math more accessible as well as exciting for students.
“It’s not as much of a challenge for me to motivate students anymore,” he explains.
“They want to see what I’m doing…and how it works. It’s more hands on for students.”
