This morning on early morning news I saw a demonstration of this app. I have been thinking about it all day and
really only coming up with a question or two as to the implication in senior
math classes – or for that matter, any math course.
This article by Michael Thomas shows that the technology is similar to
taking a picture of a check to put in your bank account. As the camera takes a picture of the question
or problem, the answer is provided.
The article goes on to state obvious concerns that teachers may have to
be aware about students who may use it to cheat on tests and reducing time
spent thinking through questions and problems assigned for homework.
It did say that not all problems were able to be solved, but that the arsenal
of problem solving capabilities will improve and expand continually.
The purpose of this new app is not trying to be sold as a way to learn –
but as visionary technology. I am not
sure about the term or concept here of “visionary technology”. It seems to be a term to fleece consumers and
give math teachers more to blog about.
I do not think that math teachers have to beware
about this app. Yes, this app could be a
bit more than the answers in the back of the book, but could be used the same
way. Most of our senior students would
quickly learn to use the app in a helpful way.
They would know that they will not learn by just copying the answers
from the app. Senior math teachers just
be aware and relax.
Wow! Great find, Broden. It certainly is amazing what technology can do. I am torn about how I should feel about this app. After looking into it further - I think I am Pro PhotoMath if we teach our students to utilize it in the right ways.
ReplyDeleteMy first worry was similar to yours regarding cheating on tests. However' as I have mentioned before, many teachers use the 'parking lot' technique during testing (where students place their phone in a designated spot on the white board for the duration of the period) thus eliminating the temptation to use an app such as this during the test. As far as using this app for homework completion, I think that if students utilize all aspects of the app (i.e. looking into the steps provided to get the answer) and use the app only when needed rather than relying on it, they will benefit as it is like having a teacher there explaining the steps while they complete their work outside of the classroom. I think that the app is an interesting idea as long at students do not use it as a crutch to answer every question - as they will do no thinking themselves.
Interesting find - something to keep an eye on for sure!
This is interesting! I think it would be excellent to use for checking homework question for primary and middle school students however, my concern is just like calculators sometimes our students become so dependent on these and would rely on this for even simple calculation. I personally don't think students should start using calculator at an early age cause I have seen many of my students not being able to do simple long divisions or multiplications by hand just because they always use calculator and don't know the steps require to do long divisions or multiple digits multiplications. I think just like any tools we as educators should make sure to teach younger students how to use this app properly and as older students I guess as you said we can relax for now since it can only solve simple arithmetics and equations but be aware.
ReplyDeleteThanks
I like it! I think if used correctly it can be very beneficial. I find students have trouble with multi-step calculations and showing their steps. If this app can be used as a demonstration tool to model multi-step questions for individual students, that's great! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDelete