The old teaching method of classroom lecturing is quite mundane, especially in an era where developers are hired to create games that engage both children and adults. These changes along with the overall attitudes of individuals toward different domains of life have dire effects on education as students lose focus and interest much more easily. Many researchers not only identified this problem but also came up with various solutions for making learning much more interesting, appealing and engaging. Wolfram Research founded by Stephen Wolfram, a British computer scientist, physicist and entrepreneur, is one of the many companies that are working to come up with various successful ideas.
Wolfram Research launched many successful products under close supervision of Stephen Wolfram including Mathematica, System Modeler, Wolfram Workbench, Wolfram Finance Platform, Mathematica Link for Excel, Grid Mathematica, and Web Mathematica. Wolfram Alpha, a computational knowledge engine, is also one of the top products of Wolfram Research, whose main aim is to make learning more engaging.
Most of the traditional search engines, with the help of various algorithms, query the internet and return information based on keywords. Wolfram Alpha takes a slightly different approach. Instead, Wolfram depends on licensed databases and content which is already entered and periodically updated by the employees of Wolfram Research employees. Wolfram Alpha enables its users to enter queries in their natural language and then computes the answers of these queries with the help of well-structured data already stored in its database, and gives solutions in human-readable form accompanied with relevant graphs and visualizations.
One of the limitations Wolfram Alpha has is its inability to answer questions that require narrative responses, making the engine a less attractive option for sectors in social sciences, cultural studies etc. Wolfram Alpha can also generate “personal analytics” report based on the Facebook account details for the users who authorize Wolfram to access their Facebook accounts. As more people are preferring smart and portable devices over traditional personal computers, the demand of smart device apps is also increasing. Keeping this in mind, Wolfram Research has also launched iPhone and Android apps that are widely used today.
Advent of such innovative portals helps teachers in developing more engaging lecture strategies and teaching methodologies as well as the ability to give students better hands-on knowledge of new trends and technologies.
