Interplay Between History of Mathematics and Digital Technologies

This article is a review of the literature on the use of history of mathematics in combination with use of digital technologies in the teaching and learning of mathematics. The review identifies 33 peer-reviewed publications (book chapters, journal articles, and papers in conference proceedings) that address an actual interplay between use of history and digital technologies. Of these, 24 concern the use of primary historical source material, i.e., mathematical texts produced by past (historical) mathematicians. Besides asking the questions of which publications actually incorporate this interplay and what purposes the use of history and digital technology serve, we also address the question of the role of mathematics education theoretical perspectives (or the lack thereof) in the identified publications. A reading of the identified publications shows that the ones involving use of primary historical source material often have a clearer connection to theoretical constructs from mathematics education research (outside the area of History and Pedagogy of Mathematics, or HPM). Still, only a small number of the identified publications make use of mathematics education theoretical constructs specifically addressing the use of digital technology.