Free Mathematics Software Resources; Which Word Caught Your Eye?

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Computers have been in schools and indeed some mathematics classrooms for more than 35 years. Some schools have chosen to centralise their computers in laboratories, while others have a mix of configurations and networks. Whatever the case, how extensive has been the classroom use of computers for teaching and learning in mathematics? What has their presence added to the classrooms and the learning experiences of students? What effect has there been on the pedagogy of teachers in this time? How has the content of the mathematics curriculum been changed by the presence of computers in mathematics classrooms or in accessible laboratories?

We could attempt to collect some quantitative data about the first question and an examination of past and present published curriculum documents of the states and territories would provide a "picture" of any influence the presence of computers may have had on mathematics content. The other two questions are not so easy to tackle in a scholarly manner. It is not my intention in this article to answer any of the questions! Rather, my intentions are:

* to present some observations about current use of online learning objects developed for the states and territories by The Learning Federation (TLF);

* to raise the awareness of teachers and teacher educators to the existence of these free software resources that are beginning to alter the patterns of computer use, pedagogy and content in classrooms; and

* to present some findings of a recent pilot study in the use of these digital resources.

Access to computers and the availability of suitable software has long been the impediment to a greater use of computers in mathematics. "I only have a couple of computers in my classroom," or …