Addressing the Issues Underlying Hand-held Technology Use in the Classroom

Many mathematics departments have adopted plans for the appropriate use of instructional technology tools in the learning and teaching of mathematics, and in the assessment of mathematics learning. However the use of such new technology raises fundamental issues in pedagogy and assessment.The School of Mathematical Sciences at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) offers a Special Topic course on the integration of hand-held technology into the teaching and learning of mathematics beginning the 2001/2002 academic year. The course is taught in an inquiry-based format that highlights explorations and applications of mathematics in a data rich modeling environment. In addition, the course addresses issues related to the effective integration of such technologies into the mathematics and science curriculum. This paper discusses pedagogical and assessment strategies that have been implemented in the course and summarize student reactions to the innovative learning mode