Mathematics with Technology

With the existence of SmartBoards in class, it makes teaching more animated and fun. Children enjoy manipulating and exploring Mathematics using the SmartBoards. It comes with 4 different coloured pens for children to move the icons around while answering questions. They can also use the pens to write or draw their thoughts about the problem.

I had invested my time for my 5 year olds when I taught them the concept of addition and subtraction towards in term 3 and 4. They were able to drag the icons in and out of the frames in order to add or subtract. I have created my own problems prior to the lesson which revolves around the numbers from 0 t 10.

I can really see the difference when technology takes charge of learning. Children became excited as they were not given much exposure in manipulating one. Albeit being in the 21st century, a country that is face-paced, not every kindergartens or child care centres have the luxury of owning a SmartBoard or the budget to purchase technology-based materials for children's learning. Before the SmartBoard were bought, I will usually use Math manipulatives or the counters to teach addition and subtraction. I coul see the difference in the children's responses and thinking. As they see the animation, they are motivated to solve it correctly which inadvertently send them to a stage of multiple perspective. Children get to learn that computers too make mistakes. This is because as times, the program is unable to compute the amount accurately and they were able to see the mistakes. In my opinion, I will call it incidentall learning. Technology has helped me to capture the children's attention, to invite the children in thinking critically in order to see the sums in many angles and it has motivated children who are afraid to commit mistakes.