http://www.ted.com/talks/conrad_wolfram_teaching_kids_real_math_with_computers?language=en
This is a must see 17 minute TED Talk for all parents and math educators.
From rockets to stock markets, many of humanity’s most thrilling creations are powered by math. So why do kids lose interest in it? Conrad Wolfram says the part of math we teach — calculation by hand — isn’t just tedious, it’s mostly irrelevant to real mathematics and the real world.
Also check out Wolfram Aplha, an online calculator that can calculate just about anything. http://www.wolframalpha.com/
I teach freshmen and this year I have had a horrible time getting students to engage in the algebra curriculum. If we could figure out a way to start teaching math with the constant use of computers, I could see where this would be really helpful. My challenge is how do we do it? How do we recreate a curriculum that is readily available to teachers that can then become readily available to students? How do we then implement it? I love the idea and am studying educational technology because I see that we do not use enough technology and implement it in our schools and our students are so far ahead of us as teachers. This is the only way that I can see that we will increase engagement and the students desire to learn those subjects they feel irrelevant.
My thought is that the standards and course expectations, along with curriculum will not be able to keep up with the evolving technology. They probably never will. I think we do it by staying connected with blogs, twitter, math networks, and conferences. The second part of that, when you hear something good, try it and tell others how it went.