A Multimodal Discourse on the Use of Touch Enabled Mobile Devices for Mathematics Education

Introduction

Fullan (2012) postulated that innovations and new pedagogies are needed to transform teaching and learning to make it appropriate for learners in the 21st century. Yet the use of technology in education can be a highly contentions area. Many countries including Australia have made links between the integration of ICT in education and economic growth on a national and personal level. The UNESCO ICT-CST Project aimed to make connections between education reform, economic growth and the raising of social standards (UNESCO, 2008). There have been many claims that particular technologies, for example radio or television would transform education. Yet there is little evidence that these changes have occurred. In some cases it is reported that technology programs have been terminated for lack of educational outcomes (Holcomb, 2009; Hu, 2007). There is evidence that if these devices are not used in an effective manner they can be disruptive and can distract the students from the learning goals (Sheppard & Brown, 2011). Thomas and Palmer (2014, 71) stated “A key variable in the use of digital technology in the mathematics classroom is the teacher.” Pierce and Ball (2009), in their study on secondary teachers’ use of technology in mathematics, discuss how the introduction of technology can lead to teacher centred didactic approaches and an increase in drill and practice work. This led to the larger question, what does quality teaching in mathematics look like? Leading to the overarching research question for the research discussed in this chapter “What does effective mathematics teaching which integrates touch-enabled mobile technologies look like?” It can be argued that providing teachers with new technologies does not guarantee that there will be positive educational outcomes. There is a need for research on ways to monitor the quality of teaching and the impact on student learning outcomes when using technology in mathematics education. “Simply buying devices, without considering teachers and their students know how to use them, is of dubious educational value” (Peluso, 2012, 126). As indicated by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in the quotation below, it is the teachers’ work in classrooms that provides the interface between the rhetoric and reality, teachers make the curriculum tangible for students.