Teaching Probability Through Use of an Applet

The use of technology in the classroom is an ongoing debate by educators. Many teachers consider it to be a valuable teaching tool. Despite the many advantages, there are also drawbacks in using technology. A Java applet is a particular kind of multimedia technology proven to be useful in education. Because of students\u27 struggles with learning basic probability in Statistics 1040, I have created a probability applet to reinforce the concept of probability. The applet was tested with two Statistics 1040 classes. The majority of students agreed that they learned more about probability from using the applet. Several of the students felt that learning using the applet was more enjoyable than learning out of a textbook. Corrections to the applet were made after suggestions from student evaluations. Overall, this applet seems to be a useful tool in teaching probability