“Math is tough. Math is complicated. Math is boring.”

Fortunately or unfortunately, math is very important. Mathematics is the most trusted subject in nearly all career, and frequently high paying jobs demand somebody who can “do the math”.

According to the 2007 Department of Education statistics, only 31% of eighth-graders scored at or higher “proficient” level on standardized math tests. In some school districts, high-school-algebra failure rates approach 50%.

From the first abacus, the teaching and learning of mathematics have long been difficult. Over the last two decades, educational ‘technologists’ have developed and studied the uses of computers, particularly for mathematics education. The necessity of a handheld device for mathematical uses has been around development within the past many years.

The recent past saw advanced calculators manufactured by a couple of leading makers, like Casio and Texas Instrument, which were designed to provide specific applications for mathematics learning.

Similarly, TI’s handheld mathematical PDAs offered solutions to many challenges such as helping teachers know which students had a downside to which mathematical concept in “real-time”, and enabling students to independently experiment and explore concepts since they are taught.

The option of a ubiquitous technology like m-learning can play a powerful part … READ MORE ...