Interactive Web-Based Tools for Learning Mathematics

Abstract

There is an abundance of Web-based resources designed for mathematics teachers and learners at every level. Some of these are static, while others are interactive or dynamic, giving mathematics learners opportunities to develop visualization skills, explore mathematical concepts, and obtain solutions to self-selected problems. Research into the efficacy of online mathematics demonstrations and interactive resources is lacking, but it is clear that not all online resources are equal from a pedagogical viewpoint. In this chapter, a number of popular and relevant websites for collegiate mathematics and collegiate preservice teacher education are examined. They are reviewed and investigated in terms of their interactivity, dynamic capabilities, pedagogical strengths and weaknesses, the practices they employ, and their potential to enhance mathematical learning both inside and outside of the collegiate classroom. Culled from these reviews is a working definition of “best practices”: condensing difficult mathematical concepts into representations and models that clarify ideas with minimal words, thereby enabling a typical student to grasp, quickly and easily, the underlying mathematics.