Title: Wireless Math Pads and Server

Context: One of the enduring issues surrounding the use of technology in education centres around the question of what level of technology is appropriate for the given educational objectives. In mathematics education, this debate has been most famously played out with respect to the appropriate use of calculators in the classroom. The trend towards miniaturization of high powered computers implies that instructors at the upper secondary and tertiary levels of education must also confront the question of whether or not technology is abetting or obscuring the educational objectives.

Objective: The objective of this project is to build and test a wireless net-booting mathematics environment that affords the instructor a high degree of control over the mathematical tools that his or her students have at their disposal. The environment will consist of a server, math pads, mathematical applications, and the necessary operating system software and wireless hardware.

In this context, the "Math Pad" is a terminal that provides students with a set of resources that can be defined by the instructor according to the educational or assessment objectives. Appliances such as these would hold a number of advantages over graphing calculators. Among them, better display capabilities and the ability to offer a level playing field by ensuring that all students have the same resources at their disposal. As well, such appliances would be less prone to theft as they would be useless when not connected to the server.

May 15, 2002