Are graphing calculators the catalyzers for a real change in mathematics education?.
The reality, however, is that technology is not widely used in the classroom, both at the secondary school level and at the university level. In Portugal we can say that very few schools have computers available to teach mathematics (most are used to teach informatics). In the university there is not a single course where computers are used in some way in Calculus or Linear Algebra courses. In Brazil, in 1995, Gilda Palis reported on a first year course given at a University in Rio de Janeiro as "the first one using technological tools at this level of study" (Palis, 1995).
In other countries, like the United States or UK, many schools and universities use computers, but we cannot say that they are used routinely (as can be inferred for example, from several papers from the Proceedings of the 7th ICTCM --like the ones by Antonio Lopez et al. and Adrian Oldknow), from the fact that many schools are still applying for grants to buy computers, or from the discussions of the CALC-REFORM list. Bert Waits wrote: "Students at typical high schools rarely have access to a computer lab during calculus class." (Waits, 1992).
The main reason for this is financial. In fact, although computers are quite inexpensive it is still impossible to equip schools with computers and to create labs, because it involves thousands of students and several different subjects that want to use the computer. The big number of students involved is the reason for an author to conclude: "The only activity in the school for the masses is, practically, the explanation of the teacher supported by the textbook." (Teodoro, 1992)
Bert Waits confirms this assertion: "[most calculus teachers] report it is almost impossible to schedule their mathematics classes in a computer lab because the labs are now fully scheduled with non-mathematics classes." (Waits, 1992). A study conducted in Portugal reports: "As difficulties of the use of the computer in the teaching of Mathematics, Julia refers essentially to the logistic aspects, like the non existence of a room equipped with computers enough for all the students of the same group to work simultaneously with the computer." (Canavarro, 1994)
So, all the advantages of using technology in the mathematics classroom are not at the grasp of all students simply because there are not enough computers in schools. This will be a problem for a long time, also because new technology makes the old one obsolete, and new and more interesting software will not work in older computers. Furthermore, the economic situations forbids massive acquisition of computers for schools in many countries.
There is a PDF file available for this paper.
Gómez, P. & Waits, B. (Eds.) (1996). Roles of calculators in the classroom.
Mail comments to Pedro Gómez: pgomez@uniandes.edu.co