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Douglas Butler Presentation to the MANSW Conference September 2006
Douglas
Butler, a Mirandanet Fellow, was priviledged to be invited to give the opening
keynote to the 2006 MANSW Conference (Mathematical Association of New South
Wales) in Sydney on 8th September 2006.
New South Wales has had a very conservative view of its curriculum, and is in the process of redesigning its secondary mathematics syllabuses for the first time in 25 years. This contrasts with all the other Australian States which have been on a steady revision cycle every 5 years or so.
Douglas used this opportunity to look at some of the ways technology can enhance the teaching and learning of mathematics. He showed some topics, such as vectors in 2D and 3D, and probability and statistictics, none of which appear in their courses at the moment, and which technology can bring to life spectacularly.
His presentation included an innovative use of Google Earth and a new on-screen protractor. With these tools he explored the angles of famous buildings, eg the Pentagon in Washington, and the link between the direction of prevailing winds and the siting of airport runways.
The PowerPoint and other related files can be downloaded from:
[Technology for Secondary/College Mathematics Web Site]
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