Technology has the potential to revolutionize what math and science can be taught across all grades. Using appropriate software, students can experiment directly with atoms and see how their properties relate to how ice melts and bacteria reproduce. With portable computers equipped with sensors, they can collect important field data that can give them the facts to help clean up our environment. Using networking, students can analyze data from scientists, learn about new results before they can be incorporated into texts, and undertake international collaborative studies. Online testing will make student evaluation more accurate, continuous, timely, and helpful.
Technology can also greatly improve teacher preparation and professional development.
Network-based courses can help teachers during the academic year, giving them highly targeted ideas and approaches that they can use immediately in their teaching. Online seminars for university faculty can help them stay current with new content, technology, and pedagogy. Incorporating innovations in technology into education requires applied research and development. The software and courses need to be developed and tested with large cohorts of students under different conditions. We need to understand the teacher professional development needs associated with technology-enhanced teaching.