This week while browsing TED I stumbled upon teaching kids real math with computers a talk by Conrad Wolfram. He stresses the lack of interest in mathematics but the ever-continuing rise of importance in the subject. The answer he proposes to fix this issue is for us to use computers. When defining math he breaks it into four parts posing the right questions, real world formulation, Computation, and finally real world verification. He suggests that the step of computation be left to the computers and the other three be concentrated on by the student. Math he proposes is greater than calculating but for so many years that was stressed because it had to be done by hand. This is no longer the case. He proposes critical reform in computer-based math. Making the subject more practical and conceptual like computer programming for instance. I found this talk very interested because for years while I was in school I failed to see the purpose in math other than to keep my brain in shape. Finding ways to incorporate real world situations would definitely spark a greater interest in the subject and I believe it would help move us forward.
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