Interrelated learning and working environments for supporting the use of computer tools in introductory classes

At the department of mathematics & informatics in our University we are in the process of redesigning our introductory course on stochastics (probability and statistics) for future mathematics teachers. In this course we now use the software FATHOM, which students learn as a (cognitive and culturally mediated) tool for exploratory data analysis, for simulation and for inferential statistics as well as a tool for experimenting with statistical methods. We use various types of Internet based materials to support the learning process of our students. Experimental learning environments and working environments containing data and exploratory guides are constructed with FATHOM. FATHOM offers meta-medium and meta-tool capabilities that offer high adaptability and versatility for the teacher of a course. In addition, we have developed Java applets, screen videos and web-based hypertexts as further supporting materials.