Learning by Computer or Learning the Computer

Screen shot of Nintendo's Super Mario Brothers

My friend Joe recently posted this comment on Facebook concerning learning and suffering:

” Pathein estin mathein, mathein estin pathein.”
To learn is to suffer; to suffer is to learn.
-Aeschylus, Agamemnon (paraphrased)

Does learning have to be painful, or can it be made more pleasurable?

This brings up an old debate about calculators or computers being used for math education. When is the computer useful for learning or when is the computer doing the work for the student? Personally, I think calculators are great for math that requires tables (logs) or excessive amounts of algebra, i.e. complex differential equations. Unfortunately, basic math like multiplication tables require memorization to grasp the knowledge. Significant amounts of work is involved. Repetition is what allows students to recall values in the future. Making the repetitious process less tedious would result in students being more willing to memorize.

Taking this into consideration, I think computers could be used for basic mathematics education in an interactive manner. The program would require students to follow a programmed series of scenarios with the student controlling the action in a video game. The student could have a customized character going through a mathematical world. Think Indiana Jones running through a jungle maze. Each step of the way through the game, a student makes one of two inputs answering questions:
1) answers with exact numbers

2) multiple choice numbers.

The method in which a student answers the question depends on the

question being asked. The game based on multiplication tables would present a question on screen:

5 × 5 = ?

If the student types in the correct answer of 25, the character proceeds in the game. The next question is presented and the cycle is repeated. Wrong answers would have the same question repeated up to three times after which a new question is posed. The character remains in place until a correct answer is given. In a more advanced level, the multiple choice option would be utilized with equations. The jungle landscape would then fit the equation’s plotted shape. The final touch would be to have students compete with each other within a multiplayer game. Keep students interested by getting the competitive juices flowing.