Mobile Learning and Mathematics

257 Pages·2015·2.252 MB·English

by  Helen Crompton, John Traxler

MOBILE LEARNING
AND MATHEMATICS
Mobile Learning and Mathematics provides an overview of current research on how
mobile devices are supporting mathematics educators in classrooms across the
globe. Through nine case studies, chapter authors investigate the use of mobile
technologies over a range of grade levels and mathematical topics, while con-
necting chapters provide a strong foundational background in mobile learning
theories, instructional design, and learner support.
For current educators, Mobile Learning and Mathematics provides concrete ideas and
strategies for integrating mobile learning into their mathematics instruction—for
example, by sharing resources that will help implement Common Core State
Standards or by streamlining the process of selecting from the competing and often
confusing technology options currently available. A cutting-edge research volume,
this collection also provides a springboard for educational researchers to conduct
further study.
Helen Crompton is Assistant Professor of Instructional Technology in the
Department of Teaching and Learning at Old Dominion University in Nor-
folk, Virginia, USA.
John Traxler is Professor of Mobile Learning at the University of Wolverhamp-
ton, UK, where he also directs the Learning Lab.
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MOBILE LEARNING
AND MATHEMATICS
Foundations, Design,
and Case Studies
Edited by
Helen Crompton
John Traxler
First published 2015
by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
and by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2015 Taylor & Francis
The right of Helen Crompton and John Traxler to be identifi ed as the
authors of the editorial material of this work, and of the authors for their
individual chapters, has been asserted by them in accordance with
sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered
trademarks, and are used only for identifi cation and explanation without
intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Mobile learning and mathematics : foundations, design, and case studies /
edited by Helen Crompton, John Traxler.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Mathematics—Study and teaching. 2. Mobile communication systems
in education. I. Crompton, Helen, editor. II. Traxler, John, editor.
QA20.M63M63 2015
510.71—dc23
2014031919
ISBN: 978-0-415-74280-1 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-415-74281-8 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-81434-6 (ebk)
Typeset in Bembo
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
CONTENTS
Introduction 1
Helen Crompton and John Traxler
1 B ridging the Gap: Using Mobile Devices to Connect
Mathematics to Out-of-School Contexts 9
S andra F. Sawaya and Ralph T. Putnam
2 M obile Applications for Math Education—How Should
They Be Done? 20
M artin Ebner
3 I nquiry-Based Mobilized Math Classroom with Stanford
Mobile Inquiry-Based Learning Environment (SMILE) 33
D onggil Song and Paul Kim
4 S martphones Welcome! Preparatory Course in Mathematics
Using the Mobile App MassMatics 47
E va Decker, Barbara Meier, Andreas Christ, Gisela Hillenbrand,
Stephan Claus, and Robert Koschig
5 S tudents’ Behaviour, Perceptions and Emotions When
Learning Mathematics with Cellular Phones 61
W ajeeh Daher and Nimer Baya’a
vi Contents
6 D esigning with Mobile Technologies for Enabling
Transitions across Mathematical Contexts 71
H åkan Sollervall and Marcelo Milrad
7 B reaking Barriers between Out-of-School and
Classroom Mathematics with Documenting 86
T im Jay and Ulises Xolocotzin
8 R ealistic Mathematics Education, Mobile Learning
and the Bridge21 Model for 21st-Century Learning:
A Perfect Storm 96
B rendan Tangney, Aibhín Bray and Elizabeth Oldham
9 U sing Mobile Games in the Classroom: The Good
and the Bad of a New Math Language 106
A nders Kluge and Jan Dolonen
10 G uidelines for Developing Mobile Learning Games
for Mathematics Based on a Case Study 122
V ani Kalloo and Permanand Mohan
11 V irtual 10 Frames and Mobile Technology in a Canadian
Primary Classroom 135
H elen Wight and Andrew Kitchenham
12 S tudents’ Mathematical Conjectures When Interacting
with a Mobile Device 150
S . Aslı Özgün-Koca and Thomas G. Edwards
13 S upport in Hand: Mobile Nudges for Math Success 164
J arek Sierschynski, Colleen Carmean, and Jill Frankfort
14 M obile Help Seeking in Mathematics: An Exploratory
Study with Mexican Engineering Students 176
M ario Sánchez Aguilar and Danelly E. Puga
15 C onfessions of a Dr Math Tutor 187
L aurie Butgereit, Adele Botha, and Vicki Boysen
16 C ase Study: Tangerine:Class for Data-Informed
Instructional Decision Making in Kenya 198
C armen Strigel, Mildren Lang’o, Dunstone Kwayumba,
and Sarah Koko
Contents vii
17 M obilizing Mathematics: Participants’ Perspectives
on Bring Your Own Device 213
B illie Jean Holubz
C onclusion: Mobile Maths: Figuring Out What Comes Next 223
J ohn Traxler and Helen Crompton
Contributor Biographies 233
Index 241
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INTRODUCTION
Helen Crompton and John Traxler
The promise and potential of using mobile devices in education is rapidly becom-
ing apparent, and there is widespread interest among academic and practitioner
communities. Mathematics is one such area where technologically rich milieus
are proving advantageous, with empirical evidence indicating that mobile tech-
nologies can be used to develop students’ understanding of estimation (Lan, Sung,
Tan, Lin, & Chang, 2010), addition, subtraction (Zurita & Nussbaum, 2007), and
multiplication (Wei, Hung, Lee, & Chen, 2011). The purpose of this book is to
present a collection of theoretical foundations and empirical fi ndings to delineate
the affordances of incorporating mobile learning in mathematics.
Technology has become affordable and accessible for use in schools, and educa-
tors have witnessed the explosive growth of technologies available for the teach-
ing and learning of mathematics (Fey et al., 1984). Attributes, such as graphical
capabilities quickly identifi ed technologies as positive in facilitating the construc-
tion of mathematical understanding (Clements & Battista, 1989, 1994). In other
words, from using technology, students are able to cognitively construct networks
of relationships linking mathematical concepts and processes. This has caused sig-
nifi cant interest among the research community, and researchers have focused
on how students are able to extend and enhance mathematical understandings
while using these technological environments (Battista, 2007; Lagrange, Artigue,
Laborde, & Trouche, 2003).
In the last decade, mobile technologies such as smartphones and tablet com-
puters have become a new type of computing platform that can be used to push
beyond the confi nes of traditional pedagogies. Mobile learning is defi ned as
“learning across multiple contexts, through social and content interactions, using
personal electronic devices” (Crompton, 2013, p. 4). This method of learning is