The purpose of this project is to present a mathematics curriculum on chaos theory and fractal geometry that integrates technology and networking. There are two very strong reasons for developing curricula that utilize technology. Technology provides the tools to make these changes. The second is the responsibility of public educational institutions to provide all students with the skills to compete in a global, technological economy. Many students do not have personal access to computers.
Schools can provide that access.
There is also a need to introduce students to mathematics as an evolving science, one that is rich in complexity and one that continues to explore and explain the universe. Computers lead to the discoveries made in chaos and fractal geometry because of the ability to solve multi-variable, nonlinear equations. Current mathematics curricula do not focus on new discoveries in mathematics, leading students to think that everything has been discovered and to see mathematics as a dead subject without connections to other disciplines. Current brain research has shown that there is a need to integrate disciplines in order to help students make intellectual connections between new material and background knowledge and experiences, which in turn, create neural networks. A curriculum in chaos and fractal geometry would both infuse technology into the curriculum, introduce students to an evolving branch of mathematics, and integrate art and music into the curriculum.