Volume 18, Number 2 1999
Contents
Learning: The Web
Edited by David A. Smith, Assisted by David J. DeVries 89Abstracts
Learning: The Web
Edited by David A. Smith
Duke University, Durham, NC, USALearningAssisted by David J. DeVries
Georgia College & State University Milledgeville, GA, USAEvery print magazine seems to have a web site, and science magazines are no exception. In this column we explore what one can learn— in particular, what one can learn about science—from the web sites of four well-known magazines:
The first two magazines might be classified as “popular”—with Scientific American clearly more “serious” than Discover. The other two are professional research journals, but they also have magazine-like features of general interest to the scientific community.
The primary purpose of any magazine web site is to generate subscriptions and revenue from other products and services. But all of these sites also provide substantial free content that may be much more convenient at your desktop computer than in your nearest library, and some of the content is enhanced by multimedia and hyperlink features. Rather than try to survey entire sites, we will focus primarily on features from which one can learn about science—at no cost. The Discover and Scientific American sites are entirely free, and the other two are partly free. All four have some advertising, as well as areas for shopping for T-shirts, audio tapes, videotapes, books, gifts, cards, and other products.
The Discover site has substantial portions of its current issue on line, including some completely illustrated articles, with sidebars, supplementary material, and links to related sites. However, some articles have only an abstract and a link to a subscription page. The site is searchable by keywords.
An example of a complete article on the site is “Who’s Out There?” by Jeff Greenwald, from the April 1999 issue (current as this is written), which is about the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, using the Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rico. It features astrophysicist Dan Werthimer’s plan to have volunteers assist in processing some of the data on their home computers by downloading a screen saver that incorporates data processing tools. In other words, the search for a needle in the massive data haystack will be shared by thousands of computers using only their otherwise wasted cycles.
The site includes an archive of back issues to July 1998 and a separate gallery of downloadable images related to the articles. The back issues have the same kind of selective coverage, with some articles represented only by abstracts.
In addition to material related to the print magazine, there is a range of Web-only features, including:
The Scientific American site is similar in content, approach, and features to the Discover site, but the online versions of its articles have been enhanced much more than those from Discover. In particular, they have many links within the text itself to relevant people, places, and topics, plus a list of related sites at the end. (Discover offers only the last of these). The site can be searched either by concept or by keywords.
An example of a complete and enhanced article from the current (April 1999) issue: “Is Space Finite?” by Jean-Pierre Luminet, Glenn D. Starkman, and Jeffrey R. Weeks. This is a much more substantial article than the corresponding feature from Discover—as one would expect of Scientific American—but the enhancements also go farther beyond the print article, ranging over a lot of related mathematics and physics. On the other hand, the list of related sites at the end of the article has only two, rather questionable, entries:
While one can certainly learn more science from a Scientific American article than from a Discover article, it won’t be because of the related sites list.
The Web-only features of the Scientific American site include:
The Nature and Science sites both have some free content, but both require registration and/or payment of fees for access to major portions. Both offer a complete (but old) sample issue online so a new user can check out enhancements to the print version. Both have quite sophisticated search engines, including searches by author, issue, keywords, content, and citations. The Science site also solicits memberships in the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), which publishes the magazine and includes it as a benefit of membership. The Nature site also links to separate sites for its specialized publications in neuroscience, biotechnology, structural biology, genetics, medicine, and cell biology.
Registration at the Nature site by nonsubscribers provides access to:
Additional services available to subscribers include:
Enhancements to Nature articles include both high- and low-resolution options for graphics. The only linking provided within documents is internal linking to references and figures.
At the Science site, without registering or subscribing, one has access to
By registering (no fee required), one gains additional access to abstracts, summaries, editorials, MedLine searches, and email alerts based on content. Paid subscribers can access—for an added $12 fee—a variety of other features and services, including complete contents of current and past issues (to 1995), with a full range of enhancements and downloadable PDF files.
Editorial notes: “Learning: The Web” is a deliberate double entendre. On the one hand, it means the reader is learning about resources available on the World Wide Web. On the other hand, it means the column is about resources for learning. That is, we concentrate on web sites that provide innovative environments in which students can be expected to learn.
Your learning experience cannot end with reading this column. In fact, there is no way to convey in a static print medium any real sense of how learning from a Web site can take place. At best, this column will stimulate you to find and experience the subject web site(s) yourself. (The technical term is “check it out.”)
We (the editors) do not intend to write all the columns ourselves. Contributions that are consistent with the first paragraph are eagerly solicited, as are comments, suggestions, corrections, criticisms, or any other kind of feedback. Send communications to das@math.duke.edu.
These notes were inadvertently omitted in the last issue (Vol. 18, No. 1), including the address for John S. Robertson, author of the column, “The Curse of Plenty: Mathematics and the Internet.” Professor Robertson is chair of the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at Georgia College and State University, Milledgeville, GA 31061. We apologize to him and to our readers for this omission.
DAS
Does Traditional or Reformed Calculus Prepare Students Better for Subsequent Courses?
A Preliminary Study
Gerald M. Armstrong and Lee J. Hendrix
Brigham Young University
Provo, UT 84602, USA
armstrong@byu.edu
This paper compares student achievement based upon which calculus program, traditional calculus, Harvard Consortium Calculus, or Calculus Using Mathematica, the student completed. The comparison is made by checking student grade point averages in courses taken subsequent to calculus. Some differences in student performance in subsequent courses were noted, but overall it was determined that there was no statistically significant difference in grade point averages regardless of which variety of two-semester calculus was studied. Some differences were found when students took different types of calculus during subsequent terms. This study justifies teaching reformed calculus in place of traditional calculus. The experimental method used in this study is described in detail.
Sergei Abramovich
Department of Teacher Education State University of New York at Potsdam 44 Pierrepont Avenue, Potsdam, NY 13676-2294, USAabramovs@potsdam.edu
Gary Brown
Marietta High School Marietta, GA 30064, USAThe paper shows how the joint use of dynamic geometry program and a spreadsheet may provide a computational environment for exploring geometry on plane lattices that lessens the risk of developing a false empiricist view of mathematics often associated with the use of information technology. Based on the unique interrelation of Pick’s and Euler’s formulas for lattice polygons, activities were designed to promote the idea of formal demonstration in geometry through the use of computing technology. The paper reports on the use of the activities with preservice and inservice teachers enrolled in a technology-rich mathematics education course.
Certain things first became clear to me by a mechanical method, although they had to be demonstrated by geometry afterwards because their investigation by the said mechanical method did not furnish an actual demonstration. But it is of course easier, when the method has previously given us some knowledge of the questions, to supply the proof than it is to find it without any previous knowledge.
Archimedes (cited in Mandelbrot’s Plenary Lecture to ICME-7)
A Comparative Analysis of the Effects of Computer-Assisted Instruction on Student Achievement in Differing Science and Demographical Areas
Edwin Christmann and John Badgett
Slippery Rock University McKay Education Building Slippery Rock, PA 16057, USAEdwin.christmann@sru.edu
This study compared science students who were exposed to traditional methodology with those who received traditional methodology supplemented with computer-assisted instruction (CAI). From the 24 conclusions, an overall mean effect size of 0.266 was calculated, indicating that on the average, students receiving traditional instruction supplemented with CAI attained higher academic achievement than did 60.4% of those receiving only traditional instruction.
The effect sizes were categorized into four subject areas. In descending order, the mean effect sizes in general science, physics, chemistry, and biology are: 0.707, 0.280, 0.085, and 0.042, respectively.
Differences in educational settings revealed that CAI is most effective among science students in urban areas followed by those in suburban areas, and weakest among rural students.
Melvin (Skip) Wilson
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University 610 E. University, 1225 SEB Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1259, USAskipwils@umich.edu
This paper describes computer activities that offer middle school students opportunities to cooperatively explore problem situations and connect mathematical understandings to each other, to students’ experiences, and to other disciplines. Students design computer projects that integrate several media. Projects contain text screens, digitized videotaped segments (i.e., quick-time movies), scanned and digitized documents with accompanying audio narration, and sample computer screens. Project creation and subsequent presentations allow students to demonstrate their understanding of important mathematical ideas and problems, to lead discussions with peers about meaningful problems, and to share their expertise with fellow students. A project about fraction addition illustrates the program and these concepts.
JoAnn V. Cleland, Keith A. Wetzel, Ron Zambo, Ray R. Buss, and Peter Rillero
Arizona State University West 4701 West Thunderbird Road Phoenix, AZ 85069-6350, USAIcjvc@asuvm.inre.asu.edu
This study was conducted to examine the effects on science and mathematics instruction of professional development in multimedia-based technology for 26 inservice and 14 preservice teachers. Participants learned to use multimedia-based technology in an intensive, two-week summer institute, collaborated in developing integrative instructional units, and implemented the units during the following fall semester. Data from a variety of measures, including computer competency surveys, the Microcomputer Utilization in Teaching Efficacy Beliefs Instrument (Enochs, Riggs, & Ellis, 1993), computer usage logs, participant journals, classroom observations, and interviews using Levels of Use techniques (Loucks, Newlove, & Hall, 1975), show that teachers demonstrated increased levels of competence and confidence in using technology for science and mathematics instruction. The discussion focuses on three components critical to the success of this professional development model: linkage of pedagogy to technology; collaborative teacher planning of instructional units; and support during implementation to promote systemic change.
Anthony Ralston
SUNY at Buffalo and Imperial College, London 58, Prince Consort Road London, SW7 2BAar9@doc.ic.ac.uk
This article proposes that paper-and-pencil arithmetic no longer be taught in elementary school and that it be replaced by a curriculum which emphasizes mental arithmetic much more than at present, and in which calculators are used for instructional purposes in all grades including kindergarten. The article analyzes and refutes the arguments made by “back-to-basics” proponents against the use of calculators and for traditional instruction in the algorithms of pencil-and-paper arithmetic. The value of mental arithmetic in achieving all the aims—and more—of the traditional curriculum is argued. Also considered is the outline of an elementary school mathematics curriculum without pencil-and-paper arithmetic. As well, the impact of such a curriculum on secondary school and college mathematics is discussed. Finally, the barriers to achieving what the article advocates are assessed.
One may be a mathematician of the first rank without being able to compute. It is possible to be a great computer without having the slightest idea of mathematics.
Novalis (1772-1801)