Use of Computers to Engage Students in Mathematics Learning

The importance of computer use has been recognized, as was evidenced by President Clinton's vow to connect every American student to the Internet by 2000 (Skinner (1997). Yet research regarding the effectiveness of computers in the classroom is insufficient. The ways that computers are being used in schools varies, making the systematic testing of effects difficult. A review of 500 studies showed that students usually learn more in classes that use computer-based instruction and lessons are learned in less time. Students with average and below-average ability have demonstrated increased abilities due to computer use. This is concluded to be due to the fact that computers are able to repeat information over and over and do not require patience that may be needed for this group of learners (Skinner (1997).

Skinner (1997) also reported that while computer use is prevalent, accordi

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performance for both genders. Exposure time for the tutorial task did not benefit either sex but girls benefited from working in larger groups and boys benefited from working in smaller groups. Thus it is concluded that success factors in computer use include time spent at the computer in some situations and group versus individual learning. Student Skills Developed McDonald and Hannafin (2003) studied the effects of using Web-based computer games Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and Jeopardy to meet Virginia's third-grade social studies SOL (Standards of Learning) test requirements. These games allow students to review information in an amusing atmosphere. The State of Virginia's Standards of Learning curriculum identifies objectives for subjects to include mathematics, for each grade. Teaching kindergarten through third grade is identified as a particular challenge for teachers and testing due to the amount of information taught for a wide variety of subjects. Students in a Web-review treatment were observed, recorded and analyzed. These students scored higher in exams than control students but findings were not significant. A more important finding was that the games promoted higher order learning outcomes which lead t
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