Teachers are encouraged to immerse their students in rich and engaging learning environments (NSW Department of Education and Training, 2003). One teaching tool that can facilitate the creation of rich learning environments is the interactive whiteboard (IWB) (Baker, 2009). When teaching mathematics, the varied representational aspects of IWBs can…

Continuing the series of articles on teaching mathematics with technology, this article furthers the authors' exploration of the use of a range of mobile technologies to enhance teachers' practices in the primary mathematics classroom. In Part 1 of this article, the authors explored the use of the iPod Touch and iPad. In Part 2, they explore…

In this article, the author explores the value of using simple robotics such as BeeBots and ProBots to enhance the teaching and learning of mathematics in the primary classroom. Before making the decision to use such technologies, it is important that they be evaluated in terms of their affordances and constraints. In other words, teachers need to…

Measurement is one of the key areas of study in mathematics and features prominently in the "Australian Curriculum: Mathematics" (ACARA, 2010). In this set of investigations requiring students to estimate indirectly the height of a tree they are encouraged to use the "power of mathematical reasoning" and "apply their mathematical understanding…

New technologies continue to change every aspect of home, life and work: the way people communicate, calculate, analyse, shop, make presentations and socialise. "The Australian Curriculum" acknowledges the importance of teaching and learning with technology by including the use of information and communication technology (ICT) as one of the…

It is a common belief that the incorporation of computer technology into mathematics teaching and learning motivates and engages students. However, research into the use of ICTs (Information and Communication Technologies) in mathematics classrooms has revealed some issues that could negatively impact on student engagement as a result of how they…

A number of underlying principles for including technology in the mathematics classroom is provided by Way and Webb (2006). They see technology, if incorporated in a rich and meaningful way, as potentially providing: (1) a shift from "instructivist" to constructivist education philosophies; (2) a move from teacher-centred to student-centred…

Digital cameras are now commonplace in many classrooms and in the lives of many children in early childhood centres and primary schools. They are regularly used by adults and teachers for "saving special moments and documenting experiences." The use of previously expensive photographic and recording equipment has often remained in the domain of…

"Scratch" is a media-rich digital environment that utilises a building block command structure to manipulate graphic, audio, and video aspects. It incorporates elements of Logo including "tinkerability" in the programming process. In "Scratch" students use geometric and measurement concepts such as coordinates, angle, and length measurements. It…

As part of the project titled "Hands-On Heads-On: The Effective Use of Manipulatives Both Virtual and Physical" being undertaken at Edith Cowan University, there was an investigation into the use of virtual manipulatives and the interactive whiteboard (IWB). Virtual manipulatives may be defined as a virtual representation of a physical…

This paper reports on a classroom investigation of a sequence of cross-disciplinary mapping lessons undertaken by Grade Five students at Black Hill Primary, a Victorian State Primary School in Ballarat. While this activity was broadly framed around Mathematics, there were also important elements from Geography, (a new emphasis in the Victorian…

During Term 3 2004, 19 teachers and more than 400 students in six Catholic parish primary schools in the Archdiocese of Melbourne trialled the new mathematics and numeracy "learning objects" from The Learning Federation (TLF). Learning objects are small, reusable digital resources that can be used with a web browser. Teachers in the trial used…

Calculators can be used in primary schools in a number of situations. They are most beneficial when working with large numbers, dealing with real data that leads to complex calculations, performing repetitive calculations, developing concepts, estimating and checking, problem solving, and looking for patterns and/or relationships. But what if the…

Over the past three years, Richardson Primary School has transformed its entire educational program based around the widespread introduction of interactive whiteboards (IWBs) into the school. A review of this initiative states that "Richardson is the first school in the ACT, and probably Australia, where the total school community, the students,…

The integration of information and communication technology (ICT) into school educational practice is seen as being crucial to prepare "young people to participate in and contribute to an information society that requires high levels of literacy, numeracy, technological competence and a spirit of creativity and enterprise". In National Literacy…