Wolfram Alpha is a global game changer for mathematics and computation on par with Google for information access. Every teacher and student, especially at secondary and post-secondary levels, should not only know ABOUT Wolfram Alpha but also how to effectively USE Wolfram Alpha to solve problems. My son (who is almost 15 and in 9th grade, taking Algebra 2) told me recently he’d been using a free Google Chrome web app to convert algebraic functions into the computer syntax required by Wolfram Alpha. Today he recorded a short (3 minute) screencast demonstrating how to use the Daum Equation Editor to format math equations for Wolfram Alpha.
The Daum Equation Editor is a free Google web app and also a free app in the Mac App Store.
To learn more about Wolfram Alpha, I strongly recommend Jane Krauss‘ outstanding K-12 Online Conference 2012 presentation, “Make Meaning with Wolfram Alpha.” Also see my notes from EDUCAUSE in Denver two weeks ago, “Teaching in an Age of Plenty by Wolfram-Alpha Co-Founder Theodore Gray.” This was Theodore’s statement on November 9th which inspired me to write the first grandiose sentence of this post:
Google has fundamentally changed our relationship with information access. Wolfram Alpha fundamentally changes our relationship with computation.
The learning revolution continues…
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