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Computer use and mathematical literacy: an analysis of existing and potential relationships.

Article Excerpt
This article explores the existing and potential relationships between computer use and mathematical literacy. Specifically focusing on data obtained from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), the article describes some analyses of educational practices in U.S. schools in relation to various types of computer use and mathematical literacy. The overall results of this study have made it clear that different types of activities that are performed on the computer are related to different levels and types of thinking, which in turn are associated with very different types of results. The study concludes with a call for more experimental type research on mathematical literacy acquisition and its relationship to technology use.

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Educational researchers have long argued for the increased use of technology in education for the potential benefits it brings to teaching and learning environments. A mere count of the number of journals and articles dedicated to this area can verify this fact. In an attempt to more deeply understand the relationship between technology use and educational growth, researchers have begun to explore computer applications for specific content areas such as science, language arts, and second language acquisition (MacKinnon, 2001; Salaberry, 2001; Warburton & Campbell, 2001). Research studies have also examined how technology can be used to learn mathematics at multiple educational levels (Dugdale, 2001; Lloyd & Wilson, 2001; Jiang & McClintock, 2000). These studies have explored technology and content areas in a manner that expressly addresses the kinds of uses and applications of very specific types of educational technology for very specific subject areas, grades, and student populations. As a result, this focus has narrowed our attention; instead of asking "How can a specific technology benefit learning?," we question "How can that same technology also benefit mathematical literacy acquisition?" This shift is an important one as we side with Norman (1993) in suggesting that technology is neither good nor bad, but can be used in positive and negative ways related to specific content areas. A technology that is good for acquisition of particular skills or concepts in one area may not necessarily be true for another content specialty.

Our goal, therefore, as mathematics educators and researchers interested in technology, is to understand the specific uses of technology that may foster increased mathematical literacy. In this particular study, the data are drawn from an existing national database to paint a picture of this relationship. This study also provides input and recommendations for continued research to support this type of inquiry.

Harold Wenglinsky completed a similar and highly publicized study in 1998. Using data from 1996 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NEAP), Wenglinsky attempted to explore the relationship between mathematical literacy and technology use. As with this study, he found that the "greatest inequities did not lie in how often computers were used, but in how they were used" (p. 3). One of Wenglinsky's main findings was that a teacher's professional development in the use of technology to teach higher order thinking skills was positively correlated with students' academic achievement in mathematics. This study was an important step in our understanding of the relationship between technology and mathematical literacy.

Although the 1998 study did report on higher and lower order thinking skills related to technology use, our goal in this study was to expand that knowledge base and explicitly describe the kinds of uses of technology...

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