Dubinsky's course was quite interesting. The idea of teaching and learning mathematics in small groups is good. When one is doing a course in the traditional way, exercises sometimes are not a very good place to learn. They are more likely just a good way to verify ones own calculations or just to copy right answers.

In this method at first pupils do some computer exercises in where there is a good collection of basic elements of the course's mathematical theory. Students have to work on the small groups and do the assignments with computer. Most likely they don't have very much knowledge about the theory behind the exercises but when problems are good they construct necessary ideas by themselves. Of course the teacher have to guide students once in the while to right tracks but most of the time teacher stays on the background. After computer exercises students have almost a lecture and homework about the mathematical theory they just have used.

Main difference between the traditional method and this method is that students most likely have some ideas, questions and feelings about the theory when they come to the lecture. When they see the theory written with mathematical symbols the perhaps compare it with their own expressions with computer. Also when one is doing mathematics with computer the mathematics comes alive, it is no more just odd symbols on board.

Although we must remember that everybody dont have very good skills in programming. For someone the mathematics behind the computer language stays hidden. It is frustrating to input symbols after symbols when you dont understand the syntax of ISETL for example.

On Dubinskys course some worksheets were kind a boring to go through. We had some ISETL code on front of us and then we copied it to the computer. I think it was behavioristic learning. I would have preferred more open questions like: "Construct a set in which..." or something like that. Of course when we were copying the worksheets to computer we learned the syntax of ISETL all the time.

I think that this course was good and I did get some ideas of teaching mathematics with computer. Nowadays it is important to use computers also in elementary and high schools and atleast I am going to use computers in teaching mathematics.