| After
meeting with Henry Decell at the University of Houston, the group
went on to North Harris Community College which is part of the
Montgomery Community College District. While North Harris
is one of the older campuses, the faculty at the University of
Houston speaks of their mathematics department very highly. Their
effectiveness and use of technology has built a sound reputation
for them in the Houston area. Judy Taylor, department chair,
Judy Dickson, faculty member and coordinator of the math lab,
and Charles Peveto, faculty member, showed us around the classrooms
and labs at North Harris.
Every
math classroom is equipped with an Elmo Visual Presenter connected
to a projector. The visual presenter can be used as an
overhead projector, upload pictures from a computer, or as a
platform for a graphing calculator. The labs include several
computer labs, as well as a math lab integrated into the Learning
Resources Center.
At the
University of Texas in Austin, Kevin LoPresto and John Gilbert
took the group on a tour of a wireless lab, a computer classroom,
and demonstrated several pieces of computer software. Laurie
Caldwell, who coordinated the building of the wireless lab,
gave the group the construction fee of $200,000 for the lab. There
are plasma screens on the two sidewalls and a smart board at
the front of the room. A person at the computer in the
front of the room has his screen visible to the class by these
three boards. The tables are arranged in groups of 4 with
each table having a laptop computer. The floor of this
lab had been raised so that the wiring could be run underneath
the floor. Dr. Caldwell informed us that the lab was two
years in the planning. The faculty first met and listed
their needs, then the UT Architectural and Engineering service
drew up the room with the aid of a systems designer consultant.
Dr.
LoPresto also showed the group a computer lab, tiered for easier
visibility, with the Elmo Presenter, computers, and rear-projection
screens. This lab has more traditional computers and is
dedicated as a classroom, with student use during non-scheduled
times.
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| Every
mathematics classroom should have a computer projection
system. The Elmo presenter would be located at the front of the
room with a tie-in to a computer and projection system. As
many as possible of the classrooms should be tiered for student
ease in seeing the boards. Rooms should be carpeted with
up-to-date stationary tables and chairs. There should be
a center housing all software and videos so that classrooms could
be wired as a network to this center.
The
college needs to purchase Geometers Sketchpad, Fathom, and
Authorware. The faculty needs to be sent for training in
these software programs and given released time to integrate
them into the courses.
The
Math Lab should be integrated into a campus Learning Lab, preferably
on the second floor of the library. This lab should be
open seven days a week: 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. on Monday - Thursday,
8 a.m. - 2 p.m. on Friday, and Noon - 5 p.m. on Saturday and
Sunday to provide the students good accessibility. Several
study rooms off of this lab should be equipped with blackboards,
TV and VCR set-ups with headphones, and tables for students
to work in groups. At least 10 computer stations should
be included in the Math Lab for drill and practice software
and for computer assignments from mathematics classes.
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