Changes to Math: Tablets, More Class

Phillips Exeter Academy’s mathematics department is foreseeing two major changes in the next academic year: a possibility for a department-wide requirement for students to own tablets and the extension of the usage of reserve formats in advanced mathematics courses.Three years ago, the Academy launched an iPad pilot program where the trustees provided all faculty members with an iPad for assistance in teaching and course planning. In addition, a select group of students each term, such as those enrolled in specified courses in the art, modern languages and mathematics department, were provided with iPads.Last year, after the Curriculum Committee reviewed the iPad pilot program and made further recommendations to faculty members upon Principal Tom Hassan’s suggestions, department heads began a dialogue about the integration of handheld tablet technology into classrooms. The mathematics department was one of the first departments to respond to this new idea, voting overwhelmingly in favor of the “BYOD” policy, or “bring your own device.”Mathematics department head Eric Bergofsky believed that there is great potential in using tablets in the process of learning mathematics at Exeter. “Technology in the 21st century is something we want to take advantage of. Tremendous graphing software and geometry software all enable kids to visualize things quicker and better, and experiment more,” he said.Students remained mixed about the integration of tablet usage into mathematics classrooms.“I feel like one of the cons of using tablets is the fact that a lot of students take pictures with them, and I don’t know about others, but I end up not really looking over my pictures again,” lower Angela Song said. “A tablet would make all of the materials more organized. I feel like taking notes would be a lot easier because my notes in my binder are really scattered, and I guess it saves paper too. Other than that, I don’t see a huge advantage in using tablets in math.”Upper Katie Huffman agreed. “I think it could be cool and helpful, but only if the devices and apps were easy to use. Otherwise, the tablets would just be distracting from the actual math concepts, and I'd probably get more confused,” she said.Hassan stated that the integration will be gradual, and that there will provide support for students and faculty members adapting to the changing classroom. “This change in the math department will require students who don’t already have a tablet to get one, and as always, financial assistance is available to those on financial aid,” Hassan said. “It also requires that we be supportive of the students and teachers as they transition from book to tablet and we certainly intend to do that.”Bergofsky looked forward to the advancements that the mathematics department could take with tablet technology at their hands.“Currently, you can’t do many of our problems without reaching for a graphic calculator and looking at a graph. The same is going to be true for some of this tablet software, whether it’s geometry-based or function and graphing-based,” Bergofsky said. “There’s going to be lots of opportunity for kids to students to explore things that are otherwise too hard. The technology is going to ultimately make a huge difference.”However, Hassan emphasized that discussion, as a fundamental facet of the Harkness pedagogy, will still remain at the core of the classroom environment. “Tablets, or any other technology in the classroom, are not a replacement for discussion with teachers and other students,” he said. “They are one tool, like books or calculators, that may have their place in supporting some of those conversations.”In addition to the potential requirement for mathematics students to purchase tablets, more mathematics students could begin to use reserve formats for their classes. During the Student Council meeting on February 4, Hassan announced to those present that the mathematics department will consider the option of using reserve formats for some of its current courses in calculus, Math 410, 420 and 430.Many students opposed this possible change. “I don’t think they should add in the reserve format for those levels because now people might not take a higher math solely for that reason,” lower Eliran Oz said. “If they kept the reserve free for those classes, which I have not heard current problems about, people will not notice the difference.”The Exonian made several attempts to contact different faculty members in the mathematics department for confirmation, but they declined to be interviewed, stating lack of proper information.