Change Is Good or The Future of Forums

Math forums are great, people ask questions, other people reply (most of the time), it’s a community and communities are a good thing especially when used as a platform to volunteer and help others.

I started contributing to math forums using Symbolab. Students who need help with math problems get detailed step-by-step solutions instantly, they can try out variations of the equation, get a graph, expand their knowledge.  More important, they can learn on their own, no need to wait for someone to answer, or try to follow different styles.  They get what they need when they need it.  No brainer, right?  Well, I’m writing about this today not to tell you how great Symbolab is (you should know that by now), but because to my surprise, some forum contributors do not appreciate (to say the least) the use of automated steps as a learning tool over manual steps.

Change is hard, but we have to embrace it. A great math teacher told me when he first saw the site, “it’s out there, so we might as well learn how to use it in class”.

Forums still have an important role, sharing experiences, tips and tricks, sharing wisdom… that and Symbolab is still not providing steps for every question, but it’s just a matter of time.

Tell us what you think.

Cheers,
Michal