THE INTERNET AS A RESOURCE FOR MATHEMATICS TEACHERS
The Internet resources for mathematics teachers are seemingly.
endless. These resources include not only lesson plans and activities,
but also journals rich with the most current research which will enable
teachers to teach students with new and innovative techniques.
In addition, by bringing the Internet into the classroom, teachers
have the opportunity to turn students into lifelong learners. Today's
students will need not only computer and technology skills, but also
the ability to process large amounts of information. According to the
new NCTM Standards, students need
to connect the study of mathematics to the world in which
they live by solving authentic, real world problems. Using the Internet,
teachers can find not only lesson plans that involve solving problems related to real world
situations, but also a variety of other services as well.
An excellent site for mathematics teachers is The University of
Tennessee’s Math Archives
, which contains links to various WWW resources on Mathematics.
The links are organized by topics on every subject in mathematics
from arithmetic to calculus. The level of the mathematics
included on the Math Archives site can be quickly identified
by icons provided on the site. Teachers can also use the internal search
engine which searches the Math Archives for information. In addition,
this site contains a very comprehensive collection of math materials,
software and shareware. There are also links to sites containing lesson
plans, materials, and games together with links to math organizations and
institutes.
There are other valuable sites for mathematics teachers of all grade levels.
The Vol Web, a server
for the K-12 school community, is provided through the cooperation
of the University of Tennessee and the
State Department of
Education. This site gives
teachers an opportunity to share lesson plans, view Tennessee school Web
sites, and to connect to educational sites.
The Math
Forum, endeavors to make it easy for mathematicians and math teachers
to find mathematical resources. This location contains links to lesson
plans for K-12. It contains such links as Mark
Meyerson’s animated proof of the Pythagorean Theorem.
Another site that contains links to a variety of lesson plans for teachers is
Math. This site
also includes links to math activities, board games, puzzles and problems and
organizations. Since many mathematics teachers enjoy Math Comics to use
in their mathematics classes either as logic puzzles or as an addition to
an activity sheet or bulletin board, a very good site for such math comics
is
Bamdad’s Math Comics. The site
Chronology of Mathematicians, from 1100 BC through 1980 AD, contains links
to the history of several mathematicians citing their contribution to the development of
mathematics.
There are also subject-related resources for teachers.
Links to these sites have been divided into categories to aid in searching
for specific grade level activities and lesson plans. These categories
are as follows:
Subject Related Resources
The Internet also contains sites of numerous mathematics organizations. One such
organization is the Mathematics Organizations and Research Journals
The Internet also has mathematics research journals on-line to help teachers keep up with the current trends in education. One such journal is the Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, which is published by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. The JRME is written especially for teachers of mathematics at all levels of mathematics. It is composed of the newest mathematics education research which includes case studies, experiments, surveys, and philosophical studies. This site contains abstracts of research articles from 1970 to the present.
Other sites provide links to on-line journals. One
such site is Amy Ellington’s
Internet Resources for Mathematics Educators. Her site contains links to
sites for Mathematics Organizations, Journals, Mathematics Departments at the
college level, Interactive Web Sites, Simulations of Mathematics Concepts, and
On-line Text Books. She also provides links to sites for mathematics lessons and
activities.
Although the Internet is a vital and rich source of information for teachers and
students, with the use of the Internet in the classroom comes the concerns of parents,
teachers and administrators about the information that students might encounter.
Because the Internet contains an enormous amount of uncensored information and ideas
that might not be appropriate for students, school districts, through the development of
Acceptable Use Policies, are attempting to educate students, teachers and parents about
what actions and uses are appropriate on the Internet. An Acceptable Use Policy (AUP)
provides schools an opportunity to educate and to provide sufficient guidance to
students on what is and is not considered appropriate language and behavior on an
educational Internet system. The AUPs apply to all students, teachers, administrators and
other persons who are allowed access to the school’s Internet service.
There are many
sites that help school districts and teachers establish Acceptable Use Policies. One such
site is
A Legal and Educational Analysis of K-12 Internet Acceptable Use Policies. This
site discusses the standard process by which districts seek to manage student and employee
use of the Internet through the development of an Acceptable Use Policy. The site also
discusses potential legal problems that can arise. Another good site for development
and implementation of an Acceptable Use Policy is
Classroom Connect There are also many on-line AUPs for K-12 schools.
The Internet, even though it brings with it many new and uncharted problems, offers
educators the opportunity to ignite students' interests so that they will
be motivated to discover and explore mathematics and be excited about the
potential that mathematics offers them. Teachers must meet the challenge of
preparing students to be productive, successful, and mathematically motivated
citizens of the 21st Century.
Student Use Policy