NCTM Conference Preview - Part 2

I’ve been going through the Philadelphia conference session descriptions and have some good news to report. Of the 745 sessions listed in the NCTM's online program 268 have a technology theme. That's almost 38% which is almost double the number of such sessions that were at last year’s conference in Indianapolis. Of course, it helps that technology is the NCTM’s 2011-2012 annual conference "theme of the year.”

A session is included if the title or description
contains a technology key word. 

Here's the list of keywords (in no particular order.)

Below is the frequency chart and a wordle of these terms. (Click on image for larger view.)

Click on figure for larger image.

This frequency listing gives clues as to what the NCTM math community thinks is important to discuss regarding technology. Here are some highlights:

1. As expected the “umbrella” word technology appears 225 times in 200 sessions.
2. Software is mentioned in 31 sessions. This includes a wide variety of types from web/cloud-based applets, Geogebra, Google Earth, etc. to those that have to reside on your computer which includes the long time favorite - Geometer’s Sketchpad.*
3. Next comes the TI-Nspire calculator with 30 sessions. There are also 10 sessions on using the TI-Navigator network.
4. In addition to calculators hardware (mostly in the form of Smartboards) is the attention grabber for many sessions. Also, and for the first time, there are several sessions about the "new wave" of handhelds (i.e. iPads) in the mix.
5. To see CLIME's full listing of tech related sessions (first draft) click here. 

If you are a speaker and would like to update your session description which is the same as the one you sent in last May to NCTM, I can update it for you on our site. Go to CLIME technology-themed sessions and review your listing there. Then let me know (by email) if you want to change anything, share more info or add some reference links. I will make the changes for you immediately.

One last thought: What's missing from the program?
A glaring omission for me is that there is no overt reference to the blogging that  math teachers are doing something that Dan Meyer** and others have popularized and what I consider to be the most important contribution to math education in recent years. Math bloggers (and tweeters) are changing the landscape of how we are learning about math teaching and learning. (More about this in my next blog entry.)

CLIME Connections #100

*There is now a sketch player (Sketchpad Explorer) available for the Apple iPad.
**Dan is speaking at NCTM (See his listing - session #474.)
See also the the 25 sessions in the Learn<->Reflect Technology Strand.