Fifth Central- and Eastern European Conference
on Computer Algebra- and Dynamic Geometry Systems
in Mathematics Education

Most benefit with less effort; this is a common reasoning in applied sciences while learning Mathematics. Deep theories are needed but there is no time for deep study. Hence, dynamic applications help in understanding the main points, but they can hide technical details.

In our talk, we will present some examples, didactic concerns as well as our experiences of using dynamic applications in the math courses given for life sciences. We emphasize the importance of complex modeling approach.

Nowadays, using mobile technologies for younger generations is becoming an everyday reality. Smartphones and tablets combined with mobile Internet are easily accessible to students and are a part of their everyday life. In the past few years, we witnessed mobile technology entering school environments too. According to the European Commission/ICT cluster, 2010 there exists an increasing discrepancy between the possibilities of using ICT at home and in school, therefore schools should support the development of modern technical environment, thus connecting their experience with these devices at home with school and prepare them for real life situations. Mobile learning is a type of education which uses mobile technologies, like the smartphone, tablet or PDA with access to the internet. Such education is very attractive to students and so it increases the attractiveness of the subject itself. For the teacher new teaching possibilities open up while using mobile learning or blended learning. Through these methods they are "granted access" to different interactive and multimedial study materials on the internet. Mobile technologies are suitable for constructivist learning and for different modern methods of teaching too. In this presentation we would like to show several methods and forms of teaching mathematics in elementary and secondary schools using mobile technologies. These methodics were created by the soon to be teachers of mathematics on the Comenius University and by the teachers themselves within the new EMATIK+ project. It has been shown that the appropriate software for mobile and blended learning are free softwares like: GeoGebra, HotPotatoes, Open-Sankore and LMS MOODLE. We will present the views of the teachers of mathematics too on m-learning in the pilot survey and research made in the field of e-testing.

In this paper we describe the research on collaborative learning of calculus contents by using GeoGebra package. The whole process of collaborative learning was presented. The students were divided in small four member groups in the frame of Kagan (1994) principles of collaborative learning for examining the functions and drawing their graphs. Two groups of students were formed, the experimental (working with the GeoGebra) and the control one (working without it).

After the collaborative learning all students were tested and the results of experimental group were significantly better than the results of students in control group.

Procedures based on experimentation and discovery play an important role in mathematical education. Computer Algebra and Dynamic Geometry Systems are suitable environments for the implementation of activities based on these procedures. The presentation brings several specific examples of various complexity that come from school practice. These examples on different topics, from financial mathematics to curves and surfaces, show how the use of CAS and DGS, jointly or separately, can facilitate the understanding of the relevant mathematical phenomena or property, or the solving of a given mathematical problem.