Faculty Directions, Fall 2005 - Technology Makes Possible Online Step-by-Step Solutions to Math Problems
Marilyn Reba
Department of Mathematical Sciences
In developing a new off-campus Web course in mathematics for Fall 2005, I asked Jim Piekutowski from ETS to help me provide my off-campus students with a simple pedagogical technique that on-campus students expect in every math class: problems being worked out step-by-step on the board with accompanying explanations. Using an interactive screen called SMART Sympodium ID250 (MicroAge) and recording software called Macromedia Captivate, he showed me how to generate a list of automated examples with audio on various topics, each of which can be selected individually and replayed multiple times by the students.
With the Sympodium attached to my computer, I simply choose which Microsoft PowerPoint slideshows, graphs, formulas or tables to display on the screen. Using the Sympodium pen, I can trace over a graph in red, write notes on a PowerPoint slide in black, highlight parts of a formula in yellow, or simply write out a lengthy problem on a blank screen. If I turn on Captivate before I begin to write, Captivate will record my pen strokes as they sequentially appear, as well as the audio explanations that I simultaneously input with a microphone. Captivate automatically records all on-screen actions and instantly creates an interactive Macromedia Flash simulation. It allows me to replay the recorded example before it is "published" or saved in a format that can be uploaded to the Web. It is possible to edit either the audio or video tracks, which appear in two different time-lines.
When the final recording is uploaded to my class in Blackboard, I give it a name (such as "Using Kruskal's Algorithm") and add it to a group of class documents called "Video Examples." Students who want to see a particular skill implemented simply click on the appropriate name and the problem unfolds. A small recording icon appears at the bottom of the screen so students can fast-forward. Unlike the examples on the ordinary classroom blackboard, these examples remain available to be replayed as many times as the student finds necessary.
A tablet-PC eliminates the need for Sympodium, but software like Captivate is still necessary to capture both the penstrokes and audio. Note again that Captivate doesn't save just the final marked-up screen, it saves the "movie" of the pen marking up the screen (blank page or PowerPoint or image) step-by-step. (I have also used Captivate with Microsoft Excel to create demonstrations that walk students through entering data and formulas so they are equipped to complete homework assignments in their finance and statistics units.)
These audio/video examples, when used in my fall Web course in conjunction with ordinary PowerPoint lectures (supplemented with audio via Macromedia Breeze Presentation), with the various communication tools available in Blackboard, with online quizzes, and with testing-center exams, provide off-campus students with an acceptable learning experience that closely mirrors the existing on-campus course. I also plan to augment my other on-campus courses with access via Blackboard to these Sympodium/Captivate demonstrations in specific areas where students typically have the most difficulty.