This is the first installment of a two-part article about technological advances in the math department. For the second part, read Fenton leads math trail-blazing.
The world of math can be a dark, gloomy abyss for confused students. In order to combat this problem, math department head Michael Fenton aims to improve technological programs that help students understand.
According to Fenton, this progression from normal math lab sessions to new technological tools began with the desire to help the average student.
“The average student has multiple things going on every day like sports and other after-school activities,” Fenton said. “They attend math lab at lunch but don’t know what they need help on until at night, when they’re struggling with homework. My first idea was to start an online math lab that I could operate from my own home. So over the summer I presented this idea to the administration.”
The program requires a tablet that acts as a miniature smart board, which connects directly to Fenton’s computer. Other than that accessory, the program does not require any additional equipment.
The online math lab appeals to students like Zach Mizner, ’10, who have grown up within a technologically driven society.
“Online math lab is the best thing ever,” Mizner said. “It is so nice to get help on my homework as I work on it. It allows me to really understand the math, which is more important than just getting the right answer. It’s very convenient for me as well because I usually have stuff going on during lunch and after school.”
Once the online math lab began, Fenton discovered that he could archive the sessions, which saved all of the interactions between himself and the students. This allowed them to go back and watch math lab videos if they were unable to attend the session itself.
According to Fenton, once he discovered the archive, he was able to multiply his time by recording a video on demand without students present. These videos were then available through iTunes podcasts to help students study.
“Mrs. [Tina] Nakashian told us to watch Mr. Fenton’s videos to help us study for our Algebra II final last semester,” Kory Thompson, ’11, said. “We have the same curriculum and he recorded walk-through corrections for the quizzes that we had. I studied those videos over and over again until I really understood the concepts. It helped me a lot to be able to go over something multiple times instead of just hearing it once in a classroom.”
For more information, e-mail Fenton. To view math lesson podcasts, search “Mr. Fenton” in iTunes. For more about the math department, check out its Web site.
