Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of teaching materials for using Mathcad on the high school level. Developing lessons on using Mathcad takes considerable thought and time. However, judged on student performance and reactions it is time well spent. Teacher Use One of the computer science teachers at the Parkville Center is learning how to use Mathcad along with the students. Again this takes a lot of time and extra work on his part.
Time is required to learn the software as well as to plan for a changed style of instruction.
The teacher is becoming a facilitator - a conductor of the mathematics orchestra composed of students, not a virtuoso whose mathematics is only heard by students. The project is difficult to evaluate. Certainly, standardized tests and grades are measurable. The areas impossible to measure objectively are the students' attitudes about mathematics and the connections they make between mathematics and other fields. Its cool because you can do all kinds of equations and stuff and it will write the answer for you.