After college students will never use a graphing calculator. Math educators should incorporate low-cost or free, user-friendly computer software such as WolframAlpha, to connect their courses more with the real world.

1. Wolfram|Alpha: Facing the Future Fred Feldon, Coastline CC CMC 3 Spring Conference, Anaheim CA March 6, 2010

2. After college students will never use a graphing calculator. Math educators should incorporate low-cost or free, user-friendly computer software such as Wolfram|Alpha.

3. http://wolframalpha.com “ computational knowledge engine” Introduced by Wolfram Research in May, 2009

4. “ Today's Wolfram|Alpha is the first step in an ambitious, long-term project to make all systematic knowledge immediately computable by anyone. Enter your question or calculation and Wolfram|Alpha uses its built-in algorithms and a growing collection of data to compute the answer.”

5. Will it catch on? Yes! See “Why WA will have a faster adoption rate in math than other CAS-technology” by Maria Andersen

6. Is it controversial? Yes! WA shows the answer--and explains every step in English--to any math problem at any level from any course that we teach at the community college!

7. Will it change the way we teach? Yes! Teach for concepts, application and deep understanding!

8. Will it change the way we test? Yes! When it becomes pervasive exams can be open-book, open-Internet just like the real world !

10. Click on “Show Steps”

12. Click on “Show Steps”

13. Note how WA automatically finds a nice viewing window for you !

20. Click on “Show Steps”

36. To see over 250 questions from Intermediate Algebra using Wolfram|Alpha covering command syntax, answer interpretation and deep understanding of concepts go to: http://www.scribd.com/doc/25729580/Wolfram-Alpha-Activity-Topic-Real-Numbers-Intermediate-Algebra-Activity-1. There are 10 activities all together, with solutions.

37. Thank You! Fred Feldon Coastline CC, Fountain Valley, CA [email_address]