The purpose of this project is to establish a mathematics technology laboratory in which to teach and develop curricula for two newly designed and required courses in the preservice middle school and elementary education majors. The two courses, Foundations of Probability and Statistics for Teachers and Foundations of Geometry for Teachers, are expected to serve 300 students each year and are undergoing major curriculum development for technology-based laboratory experiences. The technology laboratory is being equipped with Power Macintosh 8500 multimedia computers, together with appropriate software and Internet access, for student use. The laboratory also contains the new TI-92 graphing and symbolic algebra calculators, together with Calculator Based Laboratory units, for `real` data collection and display. This state-of-the-art technology offers opportunities for future teachers to experience learning mathematics through cooperative problem solving on-line, collection and simulation of real data, visualization and exploration of geometric and algebraic patterns, and communication of concepts and strategies through written and verbal processes. Since research indicates that people teach as they were taught, it is expected that these mathematics experiences will influence methodology used in their own classrooms. The technology also offers opportunities for instructors of these courses to create new and revise existing mathematics curricula to reflect student responses to laboratory activities. Dissemination efforts can proceed through the mathematics experiences of these students and through presentations at conferences and publications. Evaluation plans include concurrent assessment of curricula, student attitudes, and student mathematical progress as the technology laboratory is used, together with informal interactions with student teachers and their cooperating teachers.
