PERFORMANCE TASK

IN EAPP

Submitted By: Ashley B. Bautista

11 ABM St. Catherine of Siena

Submitted To: Mrs. Jhenny Rose Delos Santos

CALCULATOR AND TECHNOLOGY

For years, high school students have been using the latest calculators in mathematics class to solve

problems. Recently students have been bringing more than calculators to class such as smart watches,

tablets, phones, and similar technology that allow the student to do much more than. There is an ongoing

debate concerning whether the use of this new technology has been beneficial to the learning process

(Boyle, & Farreras, 2015). When considering calculator and other technology use in the high school

classroom, some say that students are just using their resources to solve problems. Others say that the

students’ use of technology in their math classes enhances their understanding of underlying concepts.

Additionally, some say that, for those entering ABM careers, overreliance on calculators and other

technology in high school adversely affects college academic performance, while others say that students

are using the latest technology to inconspicuously collaborate on exams, thus thwarting the assessment

process in high school. This paper will define the problems and concerns associated with calculator and

other technology use and address all the viewpoints for the purpose of informing decisions of the uses of

technology in secondary math classes. While the focus of this paper is on secondary education, the

unintended consequences of technology use may also apply to lower grades, and thus may carry additional

implications for teaching and learning in these settings.

In the analysis of the literature concerning the use of technology in secondary math classes, the discourse

reveals two opposing views. The first view is that technology is essential for the learning process. The

second view is that the use technology is used to circumvent the learning process, thus having devices to do

the work so that the student does not need to learn math concepts. The National Council of Teachers of

Mathematics (NCTM, 2000) published standards for mathematical instruction which reflects this debate.

Whereas they stated that technology use “is essential in teaching and learning mathematics; it influences

the mathematics that is taught and enhances student learning”. However, in the same publication, they

also caution that “calculators do not replace fluency with basic number combinations, conceptual

understanding, or the ability to formulate and use efficient and accurate methods for computing”. And they

stated that “technology should not be used as a replacement for basic understandings and intuitions;

rather, it can and should be used to foster those understandings and intuitions”. They further admonished
that “all students must have opportunities to use technology in appropriate ways so that they have access to

interesting and important mathematical ideas”, which implies that there are inappropriate ways to use

technology. Also they advised “when teachers are working with students on developing computational

algorithms, the calculator should be set aside to allow this focus”. These statements define both sides of the

debate. Thus, both sides have valid points; therefore neither side should be ignored.Educators have varied

opinions based on which side of the debate they are on. On one side, many believe that technology can help

a student learn concepts by allowing the student to check their work and point them in the right direction

to solve problems. They noted that technology use can especially enhance the learning of students who

traditionally struggle with mathematics, students who have limited prior knowledge of mathematical

concepts, and students with disabilities. However, on the other side of the debate, researchers are not

saying that technology use is bad; rather they are saying that the overuse of it handicaps those students

who pursue a ABM career. There is a growing concern among college professors that technology is being

used to allow students to submit work they cannot do apart from technology, thus they do not understand

the underlying mathematical concepts. They also believe that technology is allowing students to

collaborate during exams, thus submitting others’ works as their own. Therefore, in many college settings

such as the Graduate Record Examination test, technology is generally banned or severely limited due to

the temptation to cheat.

Some say that one benefit to technology use in high school is that it will help those students with

disabilities who struggle in math. Desoete (2017) studied adolescents and adults with mathematical

disabilities and adults with combined mathematical and reading disabilities. These students were asked to

take tests on procedural calculation and number knowledge, numerical facility and visuospatial skills.

Metacognitive skillfulness was assessed. He claimed that students with disabilities who are trying to learn

math do so more effectively with the use of technology. His study revealed that a lot of adults with

mathematical disabilities still have problems solving mathematical tasks in dual-task or limited-time

conditions. The authors concluded that technology can be used to overcome deficiencies.Just as technology

can help students with disabilities, other students who struggle with math can benefit as well. 674 students
were assessed in Oregon and Hong Kong. The authors stated that it appears that some gains in student

learning of mathematics with handheld graphing technology are a function of how the technology is used in

instruction, even in classes that all use the same textbook. The authors found significantly higher student

test performance for students who had access to graphing calculators during algebra instruction. The

authors also concluded that scores were significantly higher where teachers reported receiving professional

development on how to use a graphing calculator in math instruction.

Moreover, not every school incorporates calculator use in their classrooms. Keckler (2015) examined the

equitable use of calculators to see if students from different schools had equal access to calculators. The

authors surveyed high school students about how often they use calculators in math class and what kind of

calculator they used for tests, with the options of no calculator use, scientific non-graphing calculator,

online calculator, or graphing calculator. The authors concluded that graphing calculators are very useful in

the classroom. However, The findings suggested that not every school district has equal access to

technology creating a gap in achievement. The authors also concluded that there are inequities between

classes in the same school due to such problems as teacher preference (Keckler, 2015).The schools that do

include technology in the classroom have seen an increase in academic achievement. Crawford et al. (2016)

conducted a study to assess students’ use of technology and compared that with academic performance.

They studied a sample of 73 students in grades 4–6. This study examined schools in north central Texas.

Students completed online lessons over the course of 6 weeks. Lessons were chosen to supplement the

instruction students’ received in their mathematics classes. The authors concluded that there was a

correlation between students’ use of technology and their academic skill level (r = .31, p < .001).

Correlations were also found between students’ use of specific electronic support tools and their basic

academic skill fluency which were found between the pre and post mathematics testing (t(72) = 6.463,

p<.001), The implication is that students who are struggling with mathematics can use electronic support

tools to supplement their prior knowledge and have more success. While calculator and other technology

use in the secondary education classroom can enhance a student’s effectiveness in learning content, they

can also be used in ways to undermine the learning process. This is not to say that technology is not to be
used, but rather that it should not take the place of basic understandings and intuitions (NCTM, 2000).

The view that technology should not be used in today’s world is ubiquitous. This side of the debate states

that students use technology incorrectly. Students can use devices to do all of the work so that they do not

need to learn concepts (Bain, 2015). While it may seem fortuitous for students to use resources to solve

problems, according to this view, the need for basic understanding is being ignored. Additionally, those on

this side of the debate state that schools are not teaching mental math skills which are essential in college

math classes (Mao, et al., 2017).

In addition to cheating and plagiarism, those on this side of the debate noted that students also use

technology to do the work for them instead of understanding the concepts behind the exercise (Brown, et

al., 2007). The calculator may provide the students with the correct answer, but the student may not have

learned the basic concepts that would help solve the problem (Mead, 2014). McCauliff (2003) discussed in

her opinion paper teachers’ attitudes toward calculator use, and pointed out a way to make calculators a

useful tool instead of a crutch. She stated that students can spend more time working on solving problems

more abstractly and conceptually. Next, calculators do not have an adverse effect to the student. Also,

students will have increased confidence and a better attitude about mathematics when using a calculator,

which can be a positive motivator. She also stated that the proper use of calculators will also enhance

number sense and help to develop the conceptual understandings and abilities. She also stated negative

effects of relying on calculator use. She said that most teachers do not know how to implement the

calculator properly, and hence, students are often at a disadvantage. She further stated that students do not

understand the basic concepts and will not have success in future classes. There is an advantage to students

when they are taught how to do mental math when they get to higher grades (McCauliff, 2003).

Technology can enhance the learning of students with disabilities and students who struggle with math.

High schools that include technology in the classroom affect academic achievement in a positive way.

However, overreliance on technology can affect college academic performance among first year college

students. Those who defend the use of technology often say that it absolutely enhances the learning
process. At no time did the proponents consider that there were wrong uses of technology, only that

teachers were ill equipped to use the technology in their classroom.

In conclusion, technology use in the modern high school classroom can benefit students by encouraging

them to work forward, allowing them to concentrate on abstract thinking, and to have more academic

achievement. However, students can also use technology to do the work for them so that they need not

understand the basic concepts, giving the students a disadvantage in college and in the workforce. NCTM

(2000) recommends the use of technology in the classroom as long as it does not replace basic

understandings and intuitions. And teachers need to know how to be smart in their use of smart technology

by expecting paper and pencil explanations of students’ work to assess understanding.However, the

overreliance on calculators and other technology can have negative consequences. If the goal of education

is to teach students what they need to know in the real world, we as educators need to find a balance

between the use of technology and assessing students’ knowledge of how to solve problems and perform

tasks without it (Mead, 2014).Thus, the debate should not be about whether or not to use technology such

as calculators in the secondary education classroom, as is often the case in various articles. It should be

about whether or not students are learning basic concepts in mathematics and whether or not they can

perform necessary tasks through mental calculations when the technology does not provide the answers.

Educators cannot ignore the need to spend more time teaching concepts such as mathematical order of

operations so that students can understand how the calculator will perform their calculations and avoid

errors. Educators need to teach those who work in the retail business need to understand counting change

without relying on their cash register which will not tell the worker what coins to give to the customer. The

technology can still be used. But the user of the technology should have a basic understanding of how it

works and how it solves problems and to make sense of solutions. (1975 WORDS)