Resource Wiki on the Use of Technology for Year 10 Academic Ontario Mathematics Curriculum
Mathematics is the study of measurements, relationships, properties of quantities and use of numbers and symbols. In learning mathematics, there is a need for knowledge and skill building which can be constructed through exploration, investigation and perseverance on a variety of challenging and complex task. The (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics,
2000) suggests technology is essential in teaching and learning mathematics as it influences mathematics that is taught and enhances student learning. According to (Mistretta, 2005) the use of technology in teaching mathematics lesson has been proven to improve student’s positive attitude, build confidence for doing mathematics, visualize and construct mathematical knowledge. The use of mathematical software and websites in teaching develops students’ higher order thinking, develop computational skills and facilitate algebraic/geometric thinking.
The created “Principals of Mathematics – MPM2D” wiki contain resources were technology has been effectively integrated to support the learning of the curriculum content.
Following is the justification for the creation of the wiki in light of the “Technology and
Curriculum-EDUC 5303C” learned course content.
Learning Theories:
The four theories that were considered in creating the resource wiki are Theory of
Constructivism, Theory of Cognitive Apprenticeship, Experiential Learning Theory and ARCS
Model of Motivational Design.
The Theory of Constructivism states that a constructivist learning environment allows the learners to construct new ideas or concept based upon their past knowledge to make meaning of their learning for their future experience. My created resource wiki provides the students with a constructive environment where technological recourses such as virtual manipulatives, games, and interactive activities are included for the learner to construct their own knowledge of mathematical concepts based on their previous knowledge. According to (Durmus & Karakirik,
2006) the use of manipulatives in mathematics classrooms provides students the conceptual understanding and problem solving skills. The use of virtual manipulatives provides opportunity for easy access from both school and home. It allows students and teachers to pose and solve mathematical problems that can dynamically link different representations to make connection between mathematical ideas.
The Theory of Cognitive Apprenticeship was taken into consideration as it explains that people learn from one another through modeling, coaching, scaffolding, articulation, reflection and exploration. Following this theory many video lessons were added in the wiki which would teach the steps and work through problems to demonstrate procedural knowledge of mathematical concepts. Then, the students will be solving/practicing the questions using interactive websites and WBLTs where students would be guided through solving problems in a step-by-step process allowing scaffolding to develop mathematical understanding. For each topic there are further problems or questions for students to apply their knowledge in similar context to articulate the gained knowledge.

The ARCS Model of Motivational Design was also considered while creating the Wiki.
This theory states that there are four steps for promoting and sustaining motivation such as attention, relevance, confidence and satisfaction. In the wiki to grab learner’s attention engaging and interactive WBLTs were added to actively involve the learner. The students were also provided with opportunity to apply their learned knowledge to real-life context to keep the learner motivated in the learning process.
Finally, the creation of the Wiki has relevant to Carl Rogers’s Experiential Learning.
According to this theory, all human being have natural propensity to learn and the role of the teacher is to facilitate learning where a positive learning environment is organized, the learners clearly understands the purpose, the teacher organizes and makes the learning material available, balances the intellectual and emotional components of learning and shares the feeling and thoughts of the learner. I believe this Wiki can be used by any teacher or learner as it provides the learner the opportunity to direct their own learning. The course topics are divided into three sections and are segmented into smaller topics for the learner to feel comfortable about the course material. The wiki pages contain overall and specific expectation from the curriculum document. To make the learner understand the course material in depth each section contains video demonstration for the introduction of the content, interactive activity to test/understand the concepts as well short quizzes for self-evaluation. The discussion tab on each page allows the learner to share their feeling, thoughts and ask for help with from other learners and the teacher.
Curriculum:
The wiki was created based on the Grade 10 Ontario Curriculum. The wiki topics covered the overall and specific expectation of the “Principals of Mathematics - MPM2D” course. Every topic in wiki contained activities that gave opportunity to incorporate technology such as calculators, virtual manipulatives and dynamic software. The interests of the students were also considered where student could apply their knowledge to real-life situation. The curriculum expectations were broken down into segments providing opportunity to cover vast amount of course content. Three wiki pages were created based on the three main areas expected to be covered in the MPM2D curriculum. The use of interactive activities, virtual manipulatives and simulations were added under each page to allow students investigate each concept in depth developing, critical thinking, communication, and problem solving skills which are essential for the 21st learners. The use of short quizzes in several sections allowed students to evaluate their learning of the core concepts. To solve questions that involve algebraic method different websites were used to practice the questions guided by feedback. For students struggling to solve a question hints and feedbacks were provided by the WBLTs. Some WBLT allowed choosing levels of difficulty between easy/medium/hard for practicing questions. For each of the activities students were allowed to use an essential technological tool known as the calculator. According to Forster and Mueller (2001) the use of technology such as calculators in mathematical education is seen to affect the quality of mathematical knowledge. The exploration of mathematics with technology has been linked to higher levels of mathematical understanding and achievements. Calculator provides students the access to rich problem-solving experience and allows learning of mathematics in more interesting way through alleviating anxiety. The use of calculator provides opportunities for students to actively participate in classroom social interaction. The display screens serves as a common referent for discussion and exchange of

mathematical ideas. To graph quadratic relation and transform them TI-89 graphing calculator and graphing software (Geogebra and Geometric Sketchpad) was used. The interactive graphing activities allowed tool manipulation explore the concept of quadratic relation in depth.
According to ( Doerr and Zangor, 2000) the use graphing calculator provides better student achievement by providing opportunities allowing students to connect procedural knowledge with conceptual understanding and increase deeper conceptual understanding and problem solving skills.
The 21 st Century Skill:
While designing the course wiki the 21 st
century skills were considered. For each section of the wiki page the activities that were added which would develop critical thinking and problem solving skills. First, the initial lessons provided opportunity to learn simple concepts which lead them to connect the concepts into understanding overall topic developing their systemic thinking. The lesson plans provides opportunity to involve problem solving activities where students would apply their learned knowledge into similar context to further develop their understanding. The interactive lab provides the opportunity to analyze information, make connection between information and draw conclusion based on the analysis. The lesson plans allows the students to work with others using technology. While working collaboratively students demonstrate ability to work affectively and respectfully with diverse teams. They provide help to other students to operate the technology to accomplish a common goal. Here students take shared responsibility for collaborative work and appreciate others efforts. The collaborative work can take place in real life or virtual setting developing students’ communication skills and allowing them to judge the effectiveness of multimedia.
The use of this wiki for MPM2D course would also develop student’s information and
ICT literacy. The effective integration of technology to learn the curriculum content provides the students with opportunity to use different technology to research, organize, evaluate and communicate information. The use of the discussion post or the opportunity to involve multiple students in online activities, games or lesson allows social networking where students can gain knowledge from other students in their learning process. There is also an opportunity to access and evaluate information gained from various resources. In connecting the knowledge gained from the video lesson with the practice activities students learn the important skills of evaluating information critically and competently. They learn to use information accurately and creatively for different activities, manage the flow of information from different websites and apply the fundamental understanding of the ethical issues of accessing/using information that comes with the use of information online.
References
Durmus, S., Karakirik, Erik, (2006) Virtual Manipulatives in Mathematics Education: A
Theoretical Framework. Online Journal of Educational Technology . 5(1) 1303-6521.
Forster, P.A., & Mueller, U. (2001). Outcomes and implications of students’ use of graphics calculators in the public examination of calculus. International Journal of Mathematics, Science, and Technology, 32(1), 37-52.

Doerr, H. M and Zangor, R. (2000) Creating meaning for and with the graphing calculator, 41
143–163.
Mistretta, R.M (2005) Integrating Technology into the Mathematics Classroom: The Role of
Teacher Preparation Programs. The Mathematic Educator . 15 (1) 18-24
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (2000). Principles and standards for school mathematics. Reston, VA: Author.