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Dec 02
2010
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Hewlett-Packard EdTech Inovators Awards for 2010.Posted by: Dave Moursund Tagged in: Math Education
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This blog entry is based on the article:
Vanides, Jim (November 2010). 10 Amazing Ed Tech Examples from the 2010 HP EdTech Innovators Awards. Retrieved 12/2/2010 from http://www.guide2digitallearning.com/blog_jim_vanides/10_amazing_ed_tech_examples_2010_hp_edtech_innovators_awards.
Quoting from the article:
Earlier in November, HP in collaboration with the New Media Center, announced the recipients of the 2010 HP EdTech Innovators Awards. The selected institutions are from the Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, India, South Africa and the US. Each organization received a technology award valued at more than $40,000 to recognize their achievements to date and to support the expansion of their innovations.
While the context and ways they are using technology varies widely, as you look at what they’ve achieved so far you begin to see some important lessons:
- They have used technology to create new types of learning experiences their students could not have had before;
- They engage students in meaningful, hands-on experiences
- They address real and significant learning challenges
I found this article interesting for two reasons.
- It provides examples of what are considered to be leading edge applications of computer technology in schools.
- The awards are provided for work that has been done in the past. There is no indication of where the resources came from. But, with the $40,000 awards, these schools that are already doing well in use of ICT will be able to do still better.
Quoted from http://wetec.csumb.edu/math-mobility, given below is information about one of the award-wining programs. Notice the research indicating positive effects of the program.
With two years of experience in using Tablet PCs in Mathematics and Statistics courses, Dr. Hu advances initiatives in mathematics teaching and learning by applying pedagogical strategies and Tablet technologies to remedial Math 98/99, a two-semester course, which enrolls 500 students annually.
The California State University (comprising 23 campuses) sets the highest standards in mathematics and English in the nation for graduation. Students are required to pass math by the end of their freshman year, or face expulsion. Nearly 4 out of 10 entering CSU freshmen require remedial math instruction; at CSUMB this rate is over 60% because of the large numbers of minority freshmen who come from low-income and underserved families-many are the children of our migrant farm worker population. The project's outcomes focus on assisting greater numbers of students to achieve mathematical fluency, and pass the required remedial courses so that they may pursue their higher education goals.
Achievements To Date
Math 98: In the first semester of this course redesign, approximately 89% (325 students) of the 367 students enrolled in fall 2007, passed the course, compared to 71% of the 290 students enrolled in fall 2006.
Math 99: In the first semester of this course redesign, approximately 96% (79 students) of the 82 students enrolled in fall 2007, passed the course, compared to 82% of the 22 students enrolled in fall 2006.
Overall Math 98/99 Fall 2007: 404/449 students passed both courses, approximately 90%! This passing rate jumped from the 72% (223/312 students) in fall 2006.
Final Remarks
Spend a bit of time reflecting on what you have just read. How does the information fit in with your current knowledge, beliefs, and activities? How can you make use of the information to help improve our informal and formal educational systems? Who do you know that might benefit from reading the IAE Blog entry?
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I was really proud of my students (and myself, as a teacher) when my students averaged over 5% of the first test I gave. It was only much later that I realized that this test covered material that all of my students had previously covered and had used thought their high school math coursework.
The University of Oregon offered many sections of this remedial course. A uniform final exam was used at the end of the term. My class average was the highest on this final exam.
For many years I have wondered about why so many students need to take math at the college level that duplicates coursework that they have previously passed, and that does not carry credit toward a college degree.
In my naivety, I have long believed that if this question had simple answers, then such answers would certainly have been discovered and appropriate actions taken. It must be the fault of the students. It must be the fault of the teachers. It must be … (Hmm, who else can we blame?)
Over the years, I have gained some insight into topics such as cognitive development, innate math abilities, theories of forgetting, intrinsic motivation, and how challenging it is for a student to gain a reasonable level of math maturity. It is pleasing to see the continuing efforts being made in addressing the very very difficult problem of helping students learn math at the level that schools, colleges, and universities would like them to learn.