The Development of an eBook for Teaching
and Learning Mathematics
Mauro Figueiredo
1
(
✉
)
, José Bidarra
2
, and Rune Bostad
3
1
University of Algarve, ISE, CIMA, CIAC, Faro, Portugal
mfiguei@ualg.pt
2
Open University (UAb), CIAC, Lisbon, Portugal
3
Nord University, Bodø, Norway
Abstract.
Mobile devices, smartphones, phablets and tablets, are widely avail‐
able. This is a generation of digital natives. We cannot ignore that they are no
longer the same students for which the education system was designed tradition‐
ally. Studying math is many times a cumbersome task. But this can be changed
if the teacher takes advantage of the technology that is currently available. We
are working in the use of different tools to extend the classroom in a blended
learning model. In this paper, it is presented the development of an eBook for
teaching mathematics to secondary students. It is developed with the free and
open standard EPUB 3 that is available for Android and iOS platforms. This
specification supports video embedded in the eBook. In this paper it is shown how
to
take advantage of this feature, making videos available about lectures and
problems resolutions, which is especially interesting for learning mathematics.
Keywords:
eBooks · Mathematics · m-learning · EPUB
1
Introduction
As we look toward the future of education in the 21st century, the prominence of a robust
STEM (Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Mathematics) curriculum is unques‐
tioned. However, low achievement in mathematics education has been an increasing
problem in the recent years in Portugal. In 2014, the average classification in the 12th
grade exam, from 0−20, was of 7.8. Mathematics exams in the 1st cycle, 2nd cycle and
3rd cycle had an excessive percentage of negatives (levels 1 or 2), 36 %, 54 % and 47 %,
respectively.
Moreover, according to a recent study on the changing pedagogical landscape [
1
]
the importance of lectures in higher education usually precludes other teaching and
learning techniques, such as projects, laboratories, seminars and tutorials. But there are
signs that this situation is changing to varying degrees, with the introduction of new
pedagogies harvesting the affordances offered by new technologies. Another EU study
by the High Level Group on the Modernisation of Higher Education in 2014 [
2
], indi‐
cates that MOOCs and other recent innovations are only one part of a wave of change
in higher education, recognizing that blended learning or other forms of on- and off-
campus learning are now widespread. However, the lack of clear assistance as to how
© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016
M. Antona and C. Stephanidis (Eds.): UAHCI 2016, Part III, LNCS 9739, pp. 49–56, 2016.
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-40238-3_5
the higher education system would need to change, in order to accommodate students
needs, results in most universities being unwilling to follow high risk strategies, either
alone or together.
It is also important to note that these students are the generation of digital games and
social networks. We cannot ignore that they are no longer the same for which the educa‐
tion system was designed a few decades ago. See, for example, the prospect of Heide
and Stilborne [
3
], for whom “the technological revolution has produced a generation of
students who grew up with multidimensional and interactive media sources. A genera‐
tion whose expectations and world views are different from those that preceded it” (p.
27). Online interaction has become a way of life for students wherever they are: at home,
on the move, or in schools. For the institutions this is good news, as for the first time in
history we have educational technologies that cost (almost) nothing to governments and
schools: smart mobile phones (most students have one), networking software (freely
available, e.g. Hangouts, Messenger, Skype), learning applications (freely and increas‐
ingly available, e.g.
Apple Store, Google Play) and open educational resources (in
growing supply, e.g. MOOCs, iTunes U, Khan Academy). There are other free tools
available for learning organizations, such as collaborative tools (e.g., blogs, wikis,
knowledge-building software), immersive environments (e.g. virtual worlds), media
production and distribution tools, and many more.
Online activities may be accomplished, for example,
through the use of mobile
communication and wireless technologies, allowing for experimentation,
augmented
reality, image collection, map sharing, and communication with other students, anytime
and anywhere. In this context it is wise to consider the integration of digital media and
mobile devices (iPad, iPod, tablets, smartphones), allowing students to set personal
goals, to manage educational content and to communicate with others in the right
context. In the near future, eventually everyone will have a smartphone or a tablet. This
will make it possible for a teacher to develop educational
activities that can take
advantage of mobile technologies for improving learning activities.
In this paper, we present the design and development of an eBook for STEM teaching
and learning of mathematics. Students can use this eBook in the classroom or outside
the classroom in a blended learning model to solve problems. When students have
difficulties in solving a problem they can watch the resolution of it. In this way, we want
to provide the same opportunities to low-achieving students that may struggle to learn
the materials covered in class. Students have also access to complex problems that may
provide additional stimulation for top performers students. In this way, we can provide
a platform that is student-centered and teacher-friendly.
