Educators have realized that its only a matter of time before the Internet virtually knocked on classroom doors and asked to help out as an instructional aide of sorts.
According to top Technorati Tech Blog TechCrunch, Wolfram Alpha, the popular artificially intelligent info synthesis tool, wants to do just that, with the recent launch of what it calls the Problem Generator.
Wolfram Alpha has already shown its prowess as a homework tool, often solving complicated Math and Science related equations and allowing some to bypass the learning process at home altogether. With Problem Generator, however, Wolfram Alpha is hoping to partner with the teaching process itself.
Sure, there are plenty of math sites already out there that provide the opportunity for students to quiz themselves on a concept, so what's different about Wolfram Alpha's offering? Plenty.
According to the Problem Generator site, their new tool makes math problems "on the fly, so you can have new practice problems and worksheets each time. Each practice session provides new challenges." So, for one, a new quiz, every time, created at that moment, not pulled from a bank.
Choose a difficulty level, and Problem Generator creates a whole new set of problems based on your student's learning needs.
What's also unique is Problem Generator's ability to take any randomly generated math problem and break it down, step by step. Students can request a hint for each step of a calculation, or look at the problem in depth from start to finish, using Wolfram Alpha's unique interface.
Students are also allowed up to three tries with any quiz problem, and are provided hints with each incorrect answer.
Currently, Problem Generator offers generated quizzes on arithmetic, number theory, algebra, calculus, linear algebra, and statistics.
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