Online Journal Entry 3: How technology shifted classroom teaching and learning

EDMT 208

Mathematics, Technology and Society

How Technology Shifted Classroom Teaching and Learning

By Edmar Oandasan

Hello, fellow learner and reader, welcome back to my blog. In this post, I try to express my insights about this interesting question: How has technology changed the way mathematics is taught and learned in classrooms?

As you may have noticed, technology has dominated the way we interact as humans globally, regionally, and in our communities at an extremely rapid phase. The impact has not spared the academic world too, changing the way teachers and students interact in schools especially in classroom settings. Technology then has permeated every layer of human educational experience including the way we transfer (as teachers) and acquire knowledge and skills (as learners). After engaging with the assigned readings about the intersection of mathematics and technology and contemporary mathematics, I see this change not simply as the introduction of tools, but as a shift in how many of our students experience mathematics from passive reception to active, personalized, and connected learning. Additionally, technology has also provided opportunities to diversify their methodological tools. 

In the past, many students encountered mathematics as a series of lectures and exercises, often struggling to understand abstract ideas. Technology has changed this by making learning more interactive and visual. Today, technology helps bring those ideas to life. With tools such as simulations, virtual environments, and AI-powered systems students see and manipulate mathematical ideas rather than just memorize them. For example, AI-supported tools and robotics create “interactive and immersive learning environments” that blend education with engagement (Göktepe Yıldız & Göktepe Körpeoğlu, 2025). To the learner, this makes learning feel less like following fixed steps and more like discovering how mathematics works. And to the teacher, those technological innovations offered more opportunities to diversify methodologies of teaching. As Göktepe Yıldız & Göktepe Körpeoğlu, 2025 discussed, modern tools such as artificial intelligence and robotics create more immersive learning environments, helping students stay engaged and better understand difficult concepts.

Another important change is the rise of personalized learning. Not all students learn at the same pace, and technology helps address this by adapting lessons to individual needs. AI-powered systems such as Sparxmaths (Sparx Learning, n.d.) for example is an AI powered platform where students answer homework based on the British mathematics curriculum lessons. Students enjoy answering the questions because the platform provides instant feedback (indicating an answer is correct), tracks students’ learning progress, and adjust difficulty levels based on performance.  It also offers support such as videos and mini games depending on the answering behavior of a learner. This means that students can take more control of their own learning and building confidence as they improve. As Göktepe Yıldız & Göktepe Körpeoğlu, 2025 assert, ¨AI can analyze students’ problem-solving processes, provide them with instant feedback and make individual learning paths more effective¨. In this scenario, technologies help reduce cognitive overload and support deeper understanding for each learner.

Technology has also shifted the focus of mathematics away from simply getting the right answer toward understanding and thinking critically. Since calculators and software can handle routine computations, students are encouraged to spend more time analyzing problems, identifying patterns, and applying their knowledge in new situations. This does not mean that these skills were not developed when the modern technologies were not available. But the manipulative materials and basic computations can be handled by technology so that learners can focus on higher level thinking skills. Hence, there is a higher quality of learning and efficient use of time in the classroom as the learner focuses on the essential skills necessary for the development of numeracy at varying levels.

The development of critical thinking skills is especially important today, as mathematics is increasingly tied to fields like data science, machine learning, and cybersecurity as Singh & Raghav (2021) highlighted. Technology brings these connections into the classroom so that students can now work with real datasets, explore applications in science, engineering, and economics, and understand how mathematics drives modern innovation. This makes learning more meaningful and shows that math is not just theoretical—it is a tool for solving real-world problems.

In relation to the changes mentioned, it is observed that the availability of modern technology has empowered learners to the extent that they have more freedom to manipulate the materials, learn in advance and sometimes question the authority and credibility of teachers. Since they have all the information provided, lessons can be learned in advance prior to face to face encounters making them more critical of what they have learned and tend to overextend their learning forgetting to observe the scope and limitations of what they need to know and cultivate. Of course, everything can be learned but any skill and knowledge find their relevance at the right context.

This issue has raised the question of whether teachers are still relevant in the classroom. I would say however that even with the ubiquitous use of technology, it has not replaced teachers. This has contradicted the fears that AI and other emerging technologies would eventually remove teachers in the classroom. Teachers are here to stay but technology has reshaped their roles to become effective facilitators of learning, designers of interactive experiences, and guides who interpret data from student performance. Technology provides teachers with useful insights into how students are performing, allowing them to offer more targeted help when needed. In this way, teaching becomes more responsive and focused on individual growth (Göktepe Yıldız & Göktepe Körpeoğlu, 2025).

Of course, these changes also come with challenges. Not all students have equal access to technology, and teachers need proper training to use these tools effectively. There are also concerns about how artificial intelligence is used in education posing ethical concerns in this field. As Göktepe Yıldız & Göktepe Körpeoğlu, 2025 empahsized, for all learners to truly benefit from this advancement of technology, it must be implemented properly and equitably. Hence, learners should have equitable access to technology and teachers should have adequate training to deliver the lessons integrating these valuable tools to teaching and learning and to be aware of the ethical use and implementation of technology in the classroom setting.

To wrap it up, technology has transformed mathematics education from a limitedly rigid, procedure-based subject into a dynamic, student-centered experience. It allows learners to explore, experiment, and connect mathematics to the real world in ways that were not available before. Technology can be our best friend when used properly but it can be our worst enemy if it is abused and ethical considerations are ignored. HEnce, the biggest challenges are: the availability of technological access for every learner, provision of proper training for teachers to integrate these technologies into the classroom, and ethical use of these technologies in a broader setting.

References:

Göktepe Yıldız, S., & Göktepe Körpeoğlu, S. (2025). Trends and insights of AI in mathematics education: A bibliometric analysis. International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, 20(3), em0837. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/16401

Singh, P. P., & Raghav, S. (2021). Current trends in mathematical sciences. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Current Research Trends in Engineering, Science & Management (ICCRTESM-2021) (p. 134). Conference World. http://proceeding.conferenceworld.in/ICCRTESM-2021/134.pdf

Sparx Learning. (n.d.). Sparx Maths. https://sparxmaths.com/