Using technology to improve the quality of students' written mathematics

In the continuing discussion on the use of technology in mathematics education, a position sometimes taken, with plausibility, is that when students are capable of solving problems without technology, there is no need to introduce it. The authors believe that even the most capable students in the most traditional curriculum can enrich their experiences and improve the quality of their work by using appropriate technology well in a supporting role, and for less capable students technology provides real opportunities to increase understanding and confidence. To assist in directing such use of technology, the authors have developed a flexible five-stage process which in the most detailed problems leads students through initial exploration to multi-stranded investigation of the problem given: the process is illustrated in detail in an example.