Maths, QR Codes and Modern Technology

Well, it's been a busy month...

I'm used to educating people, young and old, about science, but this month has seen me take my first foray into the world of teaching Mathematics!

Maths has never been something which I have struggled with (despite dropping out of A-Level Maths within the first term!) but, equally, it has never been something which I could claim to particularly enjoy. So, when I was asked to teach some Maths at the local FE college I was wary to say the least. My contracted term of Maths tuition is now over, and I have to say that I will actually miss it. It has been hugely satisfying to see adult learners, who struggle with Maths, many of whom were told that they were 'too slow' in school, gain in confidence through a realisation that Maths is something that they are actually already good at! 

We all use Maths every day. We all know that if we go out with £10 in our pocket, there's a limit to what we can buy. We can all estimate values and numbers automatically without even realising it... It only takes a little encouragement and practise for other Maths skills to become second nature too.

The students I have been teaching will be continuing their functional Maths course with another tutor, and I wish them the best of success for the rest of the year, and for their GCSE Maths next year. I know they can all do it!

Since the start of half term, I have been looking into getting some professional advertising done for my children's science parties. Thanks to a wonderful group of children who I worked with at the start of September, I now have a range of photos on the gallery page of the Dr D's website, and have used some of these to put together an advertising flyer, for which I am currently in the process of getting quotes for printing. Thanks to some shrewd and savvy advice, the flyers will also include a QR code, so that potential customers can use their smart phones to link directly to the Dr D's Science Days homepage - Check it out... It works!!

Even for a technological novice like myself, it is remarkably easy to set up one of these little symbols, using a free on-line QR code generator, and I've checked that it works by downloading Google Goggles on my Android phone... It picked out the funny looking little square that is the QR code instantly, put a green box around it, then provided a link to redirect me to the website... Amazing! I hope that my potential customers will pick up a flyer and be encouraged to do the same. Who needs to type an address into a search engine or browser, when you can just point your smart phone at it, and let that do all the work for you?
Modern technology amazes me.
I'm amazed by what it can do.
I'm even more amazed by the amount of stuff that someone like me can do with it, with a little advice from friends, some common sense, but no real training!
Both Maths and Modern Technology can seem scary to those who don't use them, and aren't confident with them. I guess it's fear of the unknown, which is totally understandable.
That's why, while I have some time to spare (with my unconventional part-time working hours) I've been looking into joining in with the BBC's Give an Hour campaign to help people to get on-line. What little knowledge I have, I am glad to share. I know how much of a benefit it can be to have someone sit down with you for an hour, or even less, and open up a whole new world of possibilities and opportunities. I'd like to pass that on!