Paper Reading #2: Hands-On Math: A page-based multi-touch and pen desktop for technical work and problem solving

References
Hands-On Math: A page-based multi-touch and pen desktop for technical work and problem solving by Robert Zeleznik, Andrew Bragdon, Ferdi Adeputra, Hsu-Sheng Ko. Presented at UIST'10 October 3-6, 2010, New York, New York, USA
Author Bios 
Robert Zeleznik is the Director of Research at Brown University and is the CTO of FluiditySoftware.com with a Masters degree from Brown. Andrew Bragdon is a PhD student of Computer Science at Brown and studies gestural techniques. Ferdi Adeputra is affiliated with Brown University and has work in code bubbles. Hsu-Sheng Ko is currently studying at Brown University.

Summary
Hypothesis
That an electronic paper and writing utensil could be used with a Computer Algebra System to have students learn and work more efficiently.
 
Methods
Particpants were asked to complete several tasks to explore the functionality of the writing pad. They created and manipulated pages, performed a quick calculation, performed multi-step derivation, graphed an equation, used palm-detecting options, used the Web, and manipulated the contents of a page
 
Results
The response to the system was mostly positive although many students suggested it might work better on a portable system. The basic manipulation seemed to come very naturally to the users however the more advanced features required further instruction.The participants liked the mathematical capabilities, but there was also a strong desire for the computational capabilities of the system to be extended.

Contents
The system and trials focus on several key aspects of the design. The technology combines the space of whiteboards with the organization of paper. Pages are managed through wipes, and the ability to fold a page for more space gives a user a lot of options. The system also provides hidden menus that only appear when an object is moves and does not interfere with dragging.

Discussion
The authors believe that this system would be ideal for educational work, which I agree with. Children with different learning styles would especially benefit due to the the interactive and visual learning styles that are combined through the use of the system. I think that algebra specifically might be best taught on this system as being able to visualize the process is generally the hardest step and then it is all downhill from there.