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How Texas Instruments Monopolized Math Class (medium.com) 220

Posted by msmash from the closer-look dept.
Texas Instruments' $100 calculators have been required in classrooms for more than twenty years, as students and teachers still struggle to afford them. From a report: Texas Instruments released its first graphing calculator, the TI-81, to the public in 1990. Designed for use in pre-algebra and algebra courses, it was superseded by other Texas Instruments models with varying shades of complexity but these calculators remained virtually untouched aesthetically. Today, Texas Instruments still sells a dozen or so different calculator models intended for different kinds of students, ranging from the TI-73 and TI-73 Explorer for middle school classes to the TI-Nspire CX and TI-Nspire CX CAS ($149), an almost smartphone-like calculator with more processing power. But the most popular calculators, teachers tell me, include the TI-83 Plus ($94), launched in 1999; the TI-84 Plus ($118), launched in 2004; the very similar TI-84 Plus Silver Edition, also launched in 2004; and the TI-89 Titanium ($128).

Thompson (anecdote in the story), like many teachers, works in a district where it's a financial impossibility to ask students and their parents to shell out $100 for a new calculator. (Graphing calculators of any brand are recommended at Thompson's school, and they are essential for the curriculum.) So the onus falls on him and other teachers, who rely on their teacher salaries -- Thompson makes $62,000 a year -- to fill in the gaps. At first, Thompson bought cheaper calculators: four-function, $3 calculators. This, he quickly realized, would be insufficient. "A lot of students were angry and actually left the class and went to the classroom of the more experienced teacher next to me and asked to borrow her calculators," he told me. The bulky, rectangular Texas Instruments calculators act more like mini-handheld computers than basic calculators, plotting graphs and solving complex functions. Seeing expressions, formulas, and graphs on-screen is integral for students in geometry, calculus, physics, statistics, business, and finance classes. They provide students access to more advanced features, letting them do all the calculations of a scientific calculator, as well as graph equations and make function tables. Giving a child a four-function calculator -- allowing for only addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division -- would leave them woefully underprepared for the requirements of more advanced math and science classes. Further reading: This is the Story of the 1970s Great Calculator Race.
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How Texas Instruments Monopolized Math Class

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  • The vast majority of middle and high schoolers have smart phones and there are free apps that can emulate the common graphing calculators. However phones are banned from exams whereas sometimes the graphing calculators are allowed so that would not be a complete solution.

    • You also need a standard, otherwise it's impossible to teach the subject.

      • That, and it would make a great cheating device.

        • That, and it would make a great cheating device.

          So do graphing calculators.

          • Re:Free App for a smart phone (Score:4, Informative)

            by Comboman ( 895500 ) on Tuesday November 26, 2019 @10:18AM (#59457142)
            The TI calculators have an app called TestGuard that allows teachers to limit what functions are available during a test.

            • The TI calculators have an app called TestGuard that allows teachers to limit what functions are available during a test.

              I have a simpler solution that works for all graphing calculators, limits access to unnecessary functionality and is trivially easy to implement: ban access to all graphing calculators. These things are anachronistic dinosaurs that harm educational outcomes.

              No one I know uses these things outside of high school maths classes with very good reason: computers, tablets and phones are far better at showing plots if you are learning or need a reminder later and, if you want a quick calculating device then a

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by aitikin ( 909209 )

            That, and it would make a great cheating device.

            So do graphing calculators.

            This. I remember programming my TI-83 to have an app with answers for certain test questions that I was certain would be on the test (particularly theorems in geometry class) back in high school. It was always simple enough. I also distinctly remember having a few games on it that would entertain me through other courses that didn't really need the calculator...

    • The vast majority of middle and high schoolers have smart phones and there are free apps that can emulate the common graphing calculators. However phones are banned from exams whereas sometimes the graphing calculators are allowed so that would not be a complete solution.

      There was a while there where I wanted to gut my Ti-84 + and create a slot inside for my iphone , so I could just use symbolink and matlab during my exams. It was either that or a sophisticated camera glasses/ hidden earpiece with a math wiz on the outside.

      Ultimately I did neither and just knuckled down and learned the material.

    • I love my HP 48GX from my high school days 20 some years ago, still do. Only I don't carry around that beast in physical form, I just open up my Droid48 app and off I go.

  • Teachers (Score:5, Insightful)

    by religionofpeas ( 4511805 ) on Tuesday November 26, 2019 @10:08AM (#59457026)

    Something went very wrong when teachers have to buy stuff for students from their own paycheck.

    • There are plenty of cheap/free graphing calculator apps available for iPhone [apple.com] and Android [google.com]. The only reason to require an actual physical graphing calculator is because of some sort of zero tolerance anti-cheating anti-distraction measure in place which prohibits students from using their phones in class. (TFA says there's an app which lets you take a picture of a problem and it'll tell you the steps to solve it. Although I would think any student bright enough to be taking an advanced math class requiring

      • Re: (Score:3)

        by tlhIngan ( 30335 )

        There are plenty of cheap/free graphing calculator apps available for iPhone and Android. The only reason to require an actual physical graphing calculator is because of some sort of zero tolerance anti-cheating anti-distraction measure in place which prohibits students from using their phones in class. (TFA says there's an app which lets you take a picture of a problem and it'll tell you the steps to solve it. Although I would think any student bright enough to be taking an advanced math class requiring su

    • Something went very wrong when a graphing calculator was required for math class when graphing itself is a skill.

      • Not necessarily. When I was in school, the classes that covered learning how to create graphs was a few years before the classes that used graphing calculators. There comes a point where doing a thing over and over that a computer can do faster isn't educational, it's just tedious, and it can actually get in the way of what you're trying to teach.

  • The original article on Medium (Score:4, Informative)

    by ardmhacha ( 192482 ) on Tuesday November 26, 2019 @10:08AM (#59457030)

    https://gen.medium.com/big-cal... [medium.com]

  • Used (Score:3)

    by MBGMorden ( 803437 ) on Tuesday November 26, 2019 @10:09AM (#59457042)

    Back when I was in high school (this was ~22 years ago) the school bought the calculators and just handed them out like a text book and then collected them back at the end of the year. Worked fine. I still ended up buying one though (and then another for college because I needed a TI-89 there, not the TI-83 that I had for high school). There were other brands available too - HP was a popular second choice and Casio made them too at the time (not sure if they still do). It was just up to you to learn how to use those if you wanted to use one since the teacher only knew TI.

    That said, with these things having been available for decades now, I'd imagine that eBay and other used sources are virtually awash with them. They seem well built and don't seem to break. Just buy a used one.

    • Re:Used (Score:4, Interesting)

      by DaveV1.0 ( 203135 ) on Tuesday November 26, 2019 @10:13AM (#59457090) Journal
      When I was in school 30+ years ago, we bought our own calculators.

      • I actually used a slide rule in two classes; Algebra II and drafting. That dates me both for that sweet aluminum contraption, and using lead and eraser bags...

        But we learnt stuff. Electronic calculators were virtually nonexistent, costing more than any of these TI graphing machines. But I don't begrudge students today having calculators etc, being able to see results and grok stuff in real time is pretty good. It's troubling to think they are never getting the fundamentals, understanding what they are doing

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by jbengt ( 874751 )
          I used the slide rule in high school physics and a couple of other classes as well. My older brother (nerd that he is) was in the slide rule club. I don't know why you would need a slide rule, for drafting, though. I never did, and I did hand drafting for years as part of my job.
          I've never really used a graphing calculator, and I also wonder how it could help you learn the basics of the field when relying on one. I do remember in one college class needing logarithms when my calculator died during a tes
    • Casio still makes graphing calculators, their last one even includes a python interpreter.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by _merlin ( 160982 )

      My HP-49G stopped working a couple of years ago (something wrong with power control, can't turn it off, and other things not working quite right). I was very disappointed to find out they no longer make the HP-49G, or even its successor the HP-50G because it was based on an SoC that Samsung discontinued. The HP Prime with its colour touch screen and rechargeable battery doesn't do it for me. I'd rather have a calculator that lasts ages on a few AAA cells than have to charge it.

    • I bought my son a used graphing calculator at a pawn shop, for $25.

  • Could someone please give me a rational explanation as to why teachers seemed to be forced to buy things out their own pocket for use in their classrooms? This has baffled me for a very long time.

    • Cause teachers are nice and the states usually underfund education.
      • Education is not underfunded. The U.S. spends more per student [oecd-ilibrary.org] than any other country except Luxembourg. The problem is we have increased the number of teachers per student [ed100.org] (i.e. decreased classroom size) at the behest of teachers saying they needed more one-on-one time with students. But it's shown very little benefit in educational results, suggesting that that one-on-one time isn't as important as the teachers think it is. Also of interest is that nearly half the OECD countries manage smaller classro [oecd-ilibrary.org]

        • Re: (Score:3)

          by sjames ( 1099 )

          A big part of the problem is where the funds go. There was a scandal years ago in my area because the news people found out that while the school buildings were in disrepair and the text books were falling apart, the local school board went on an all expenses paid "working" vacation at a Disney resort for a week.

          Add in that they don't really push back on expensive text books or a curriculum that demands $100 calculators and the costs pile up fast. Perhaps the administrators should all sit in on the personal

    • Just the society we live in today. Some parents are selfish and teachers generally care about their students and want then to succeed.

      A few decades ago, parents put their child's needs ahead of their own. Now, the parent comes first and little Timmy cant get a $40 calculator (used) because mommy HAD to have the latest iPhone (new).

      • Re: (Score:3)

        by tsstahl ( 812393 )

        A wake up call from a parent. School 'supply' lists have risen to obscene levels over the past 20 years. You can't pass little Suzy's calculator to little Johnny if they both still need it by decree. Somehow multiple millennia of people have learned math and graphing without a TI calculator, or: two double rolls of paper towels, three packages of Clorox wipes, three boxes of baby wipes, two boxes of garbage bags, liquid soap, Kleenex and Ziplocs (from a first hit on Google actual list).

        At one point I ha

    • Because only (good) Teachers care about the quality of education. The Parents nor the School District sure as hell don't when they have to pay for it out of their own pocket. There is a reason the idiom "shoe string budget" exists.

    • https://frinkiac.com/img/S06E21/855253.jpg [frinkiac.com]

      "The finger thing means the taxes"

    • Re:Teachers salaries and out of pocket expenses (Score:5, Interesting)

      by aardvarkjoe ( 156801 ) on Tuesday November 26, 2019 @10:30AM (#59457228)

      Could someone please give me a rational explanation as to why teachers seemed to be forced to buy things out their own pocket for use in their classrooms?

      First off, since teachers employment often depends on their students' performance, they may fear that if their students don't have particular classroom materials, it may put their job in jeopardy. In this case, graphing calculators aren't in the school's budget, and so if parents won't pay for one (and many won't, even in schools in affluent areas), and the kids really need one, then it can come back to bite the teacher.

      Also, there is a lot of social pressure among teachers to be seen spending your own money (and extra time) on your class. I've known a lot of elementary school teachers, and they take great pride in having fancy decorations, top-of-the-line classroom supplies, expensive pre-built lesson plans, and so forth -- especially when they can post on Facebook that they paid for it themselves. When all of your co-workers are doing it, I'm sure that it's hard to be the one who steps out of line and refuses to spend your own money on classroom supplies.

      • The US has unionized teachers, and while perhaps not quite as insulated as cops, they seemingly can't be removed for anything short of gross harm to students. Ironically the "good" teachers tend to be the first to quit after a few short years from what I understand to be burnout/frustration with how things work.
    • Because public school systems are perpetually underfunded (how else to convince people you need for-profit, private schools). Other than the absolute basics, in most public schools, what isn't paid for by teachers is paid for by parents (either directly or through fund-raising) or corporate sponsors (though that's usually high-profile items like athletic gear). This system also insures that children from low-income neighborhoods get an inferior education.

    • Could someone please give me a rational explanation as to why teachers seemed to be forced to buy things out their own pocket for use in their classrooms? This has baffled me for a very long time.

      Because rich people hate paying taxes, especially if the money will go to poorer people.

    • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

      by Nethemas the Great ( 909900 )
      Because in 'Merica we largely fund our schools with property taxes. We then gerrymander our school districts like we do our voting such that the underclass stay with their kind and us affluent, our kind. Now of course our affluent districts are--relatively speaking--awash in cash, so both parents and the school have the means to make sure the kids get far and above what's necessary in support of their education. In the other districts, teachers compensate out-of-pocket.

    • Could someone please give me a rational explanation as to why teachers seemed to be forced to buy things out their own pocket for use in their classrooms?

      Low-information voters are like low-information jurors, easy to manipulate. Underfunding education results in dumbshits who are easier to fool. Politicians and not educators are in charge of funding education. And administrators get paid more than teachers, because they have their own union, which sucks up an unwarranted percentage of the funding schools do get.

      It's evil, but it's rational. I guess that makes it lawful evil.

  • This is ridiculous. If you want to graph a function, just go to a site like Wolfram Alpha. (You can do much more than just graph, too). You can access it via the web from your phone (there is even an app), laptop, or desktop.

    The students do not need calculators to learn anything. That's just pedagogy gone wrong.

    • If you want to graph a function, just go to a site like Wolfram Alpha. (You can do much more than just graph, too)

      You need something they can also use for their exams. Giving them internet access, or even just Wolfram Alpha is overkill. It can probably solve entire questions while the student is still clueless.

    • That seems a strange thing to say. Although I grew up with slide rules, the first calculators were a god-send. Better ones emerged, and the belt loop cases became a status symbol. More importantly, we could then do vastly-sophisticated equations in the days when Wolfram was but a youth.

      Today, in a classroom, every school desktop doesn't contain a computer. And while smartphones are easily obtained, the practicality of using something like Matlabs or Alpha/etc is pretty difficult. Having every child/student

  • "Giving a child a four-function calculator -- allowing for only addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division -- would leave them woefully underprepared for the requirements of more advanced math and science classes."

    My college Calculus 3 class was taught by a professor who didn't allow *any* calculators. Calculus was invented by Newton in the 1600's (hint: he didn't have a calculator). It's absolutely not true that students *need* calculators to do high level math. As someone who was banned from calculators for over half my educational career, I find actually the reverse is true--most students can't do a lot of basic math without one.

    Don't get me wrong. Calculators and computers are amazing tools. But the fundamentals and theory can and should be taught without calculators to start, so people have a solid basis for the math they're working on. Calculators can and are a good helping tool, but should not be relied upon until the basics are properly understood.

    That same math professor had a great story. He had a student from a poor neighborhood who absolutely failed his first Integral Calculus test. He thought this was absolutely insane--she seemed to track with all of the theory, was involved in class, and otherwise was doing well. He went to her and asked why she did so poorly when she seemed to understand the concepts. He walked her through a basic polynomial expansion and she seemed to understand, but then said "I just don't understand how you can say that". It turned out, the thing she *couldn't do* was 2*3. She said "but you need a calculator for that!" She was never taught how to do addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division without a calculator.

    She came for tutoring on a frequent basis, passed the class without any curve, and told him that she was so happy because she finally knew how to do math. Not relying on the crutch gave her confidence and skills she had not learned in the first 20 years of her life.

    • When you have access to tools for your work, it makes sense to give kids access to similar tools when studying.

      I agree that everybody should be able to do 2*3 in their head, so that means no calculator in the first couple of years, and calculators in the last couple.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Bert64 ( 520050 )

        That's how we were taught too, initially we had to do everything manually (and a big part of the marks in any exam were gained from showing how you worked it out rather than just the answer)...
        Then once you're capable of working it out yourself, you are allowed to use calculators as a way of speeding up the process.

        It's actually quite dangerous to rely completely on a tool without understanding how it's doing the job, as you have no ability to verify the correct operation of the tool. There are plenty of tr

    • I was thinking the same thing. I wasn't allowed to use a calculator until advanced statistics. Before then I either had to calculate everything by hand or use a chart of common values in the back of the book. I wouldn't have minded a simple four function calculator to speed up some of the math, but there's no need for these $100+ advanced graphing calculators in anything but high level college math classes.
    • I don't think anyone credible is claiming that math cannot be done without a TI calculator, and that is certainly not what the text you quoted is claiming. All it suggests is that future classes might be taught in a way that a student with no graphing calculator, or no experience with one, will fall behind others that have them.

      Excepting a few brilliant maths mind this is probably true. Just like it is possible to get from New York to LA by riding a horse, but people who take jets will probably be able t
      • My experience is the opposite. Calculators just destroy the motivation to learn and master basic skills, hindering instead of helping. Classes should be designed so that students learn the basics without a calculator, and then there's no reason anyone would fall behind.

        If a young kid can just type 2*3 on a calculator and get the answer, there's no motivation to memorize it. Once those concepts are mastered, I think a 4 function calculator is appropriate in high school. I really think there's no need

    • It turned out, the thing she *couldn't do* was 2*3. She said "but you need a calculator for that!"

      That happened.

    • seriously

      you can create your own calculator for far less money

      you could even open source it...

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by tepples ( 727027 )

        But how would you get it certified by College Board and American College Testing for use on standardized tests?

    • Lothsahn,

      I totally agree with you, math should be taught without calculators but it isn't as simple as waving a magic wand and saying that you can't use calculators. To allow students to be successful, teachers and professors must provide questions that don't require calculators. That means questions that are asking students for something that don't have unreasonable calculations in their answers (like: "Give your answer rounded to two decimal places" when the correct answer is 3^(1/3)/47).

      I'm of the age

      • Yes, if you disallow calculators, you *must* format the class and curriculum around this. Another example: SQRT 4? OK. SQRT 5? Not OK (unless you're teaching how to approximate square roots).

        Your examples are spot on and you're absolutely correct. It's not necessarily more work, but where it does create more work is if your district uses canned curriculum from a source that expects calculators. Then you have a big problem and if you're trying to do this on your own as a teacher, it could be a huge

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by _merlin ( 160982 )

      I studied electrical engineering at university, and I learned maths the traditional way, where you have to be able to do it without a calculator before you can use a calculator to speed up the mechanical parts. You end up having to do a bunch or rather mechanical stuff. For example analysis of linear systems relies heavily on Laplace transforms, and analysing a power distribution network requires symbolic matrix inversion. A calculator like the HP-49G (RIP) or something like Maple on a PC can do that kin

    • I agree with this. Calculators should be banned in early math classes for basic numeracy. Using calculators should be encouraged later because they're faster and reduce error rate. There's value, though, in building into our brains the ability to know that if you punch in 23*79 into a calculator, you should get an answer somewhere around 1600. That's where I've seen over-reliance on calculators causing a problem. Not recognizing wildly incorrect answers that tend to suggest a typo occurred.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      There is a middle ground where children learn all the basics of maths but also use calculators when studying more complex ideas where the mechanics of doing division and multiplication and square roots don't matter.

      As for your story, I find it a little bit incredible that anyone could understand calculus concepts but not be able to do 2x3 in their head. In fact I find it incredible that anyone could reach that age and not be able to do it. Maybe there is just something incredibly broken about your school sy

      • In fact I find it incredible that anyone could reach that age and not be able to do it. Maybe there is just something incredibly broken about your school system but... Wow.

        I've got one kid in college, one in high school, and one in grade school. The one who got the highest grades in math still pulls out a calculator for multiplication and division.

        When I'm calculating a tip at a restaurant, I've got an app on my phone that automatically spits out 15%, then lets me round up or down by 5% increments, or to the nearest dollar. Yes, I can do the math, but it's not worth the effort.

        I'm not saying either of these things are good, but someone doing calculus and can't do basic multip

    • Amen.

      This is why the US is falling behind the rest of the world.

      Give someone a crutch to use forever, and they will forever use it.
  • When I was taking Freshman Calculus at UT Austin in 1973 was a TI-2550. Used AA batteries at a furious rate. 4 functions plus percent and one memory. I got through it. Even had it go dead during a test. My daughter got a TI-94 when she was in about 7th grade. I liked it so much I went out and got myself one too. The biggest thing about these is that they are allowed in the SAT and ACT. Huge advantage for those that actually learn how to use them.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by es330td ( 964170 )
      Was the one with the red led numbers? My Dad graduated high school in 1969 and my grandparents bought him one. It took four or six AA batteries IIRC.

  • How about an open source hardware project to replace this calculator racket? There is absolutely no need for these calculators to cost anywhere near what they do. You can easily get a cheap smartphone and app for less money that has way more functionality. They charge that much because they have no competition.

    Schools pick these calculators because they are known. Primarily they won't allow anything else in because they can't trust anything else not to easily support cheating.

    If a non-profit (one laptop per

    • There are even open source TI emulators available in both app stores.

      "No cell phones in class!" the teachers ree. "OK, boomer," the students mutter.

      So, yeah, I had to shell out $179 for a $5 device. Morons.

      • I agree on the absurdity. It comes down to the schools not trusting the device. That's why you need a known and dedicated device that can be trusted by the schools. That's the thought behind a OLPC type project.

      • The TI emulators I've seen assume that you have legal access to the appropriate ROM image that you want to emulate. Typically this means that you own a physical instance of whatever calculator you are emulating.

        Sure, there are tons of places to download the ROMs but that is breaking copyright laws. As someone who uses Free software, and I realize that the Freedoms are guaranteed via copyright law, it doesn't make sense to me to casually break the law for media, ROM images, etc.

  • I used these 13-16 years ago in high school.
    Still $100 for the same model.
    Holy fuck. You would think they would've gone down in price or release a newer model.

    Thankfully, didn't need to buy one. The class would give one out to take care of. You break or lose it, you would pay for a replacement.

    The problem with phones is that they are really easy to cheat with.

  • Back in my day, graphing calculators were recommended but not required at my high school. The teachers had a curriculum that could teach these concepts without relying on tiny computers... I'm sure that could still be done.

    I was one of the few who had the HP48g, which was fantastic and allowed me to learn RPN and some programming. The few of us who had this calculator would send programs to one another with the IR communication. For the early 90's this was pretty darn cool.

  • Why even mention the self-admitted anecdotal story of the teacher who decided to shell out his own cash on the students calculators? That's not a common occurrence. No teacher in my town's schools does that; it falls on the parents, no matter their income and number of children, and the same same with my many nephews and nieces from different townships. It digresses like another gratuitous "Oh the poor teachers" story when it's supposed to be about the de facto monopoly Texas instruments has on the market

  • or other countries that have superior math results to the US use calculators in class? Google did not give me a definitive answer. Where the US falls in the international rankings, I think we should give up doing it "our way" and start doing it "their way".

  • My daughters introduced me to the TI-36X Pro and it's really a great everyday scientific calculator. My oldest Daughter has a TI-84 Plus and she loves it. BUT, why can't TI make calculators with a "click" instead of mushy buttons (with the operator buttons being chrome and just about impossible for middle-aged eyes to read) and look for display technology that can be read in something other than direct sunlight? Along with displaying values, how about adding a comma between thousands/millions/etc.

    I look

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by es330td ( 964170 )
      I still use a HP-12C for my job (with a 48SX in the drawer) and keep a 11C by my computer at home. I also have the 12C and 15C apps on my iPhone.
  • Calculators are not needed to teach the fundamentals of Algebra, Geometry, Trig and Calculus.

    In fact, at this level, they can become a crutch.

    Curriculum really shouldn't be introducing calculators until the fundamental approaches have been mastered.

    Sure, math is hard. But it doesn't mean you shouldn't know how to do the work.

    Then you can bang it out on the calculator for real world problems.

  • Ob XKCD Reference (Score:4, Insightful)

    by mssymrvn ( 15684 ) on Tuesday November 26, 2019 @10:23AM (#59457178)

    https://xkcd.com/768/ [xkcd.com]

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      There are affordable calculators. Have a look on AliExpress, there are plenty of options. The problem is getting them certified, but that could be done if the will was there.

      Maybe someone could make a special version of Android that just runs a calculator app. Put it on those cheap $20 smartphones, or make it compatible with popular models from a few years ago that people are throwing away.

  • I taught myself BASIC programming on my old TI-86 and the instruction book, then got the cord to download programs off the net, there were even assembly programs to make it appear that someone was wiping the calulator while not doing so. The devices was pretty neat; that they haven't improved the calculators is because they're a standard and allowed on tests. That they're still $100 is a bit excessive, I don't know if there's the will to make a standard to fix that when limitations of performance are part
  • I find them at goodwill frequently for around $10. The actual graphing ones used in HS and College. I have 3 or 4 at this point.

  • Give Me a HP (Score:5, Insightful)

    by charles05663 ( 675485 ) on Tuesday November 26, 2019 @10:41AM (#59457314) Homepage
    Give me an HP calculator any day of the year over any other. Once I learned how to use a HP, I can no longer use an algebraic calculator.

    The HP in the end is so much simpler.
  • Sage Math on a Raspberry Pi is excellent. Accessing Sage Math in a hosted Jupiter notebook is excellent. Lots of free sites you can access from a phone.
  • I bought my TI-83 for high school and college math and STEM classes. I did use it for those purposes, but I got far more enjoyment out of coding my own games on it and loading games on it that others had made.

    It was a sad day when both my line of four batteries AND the CR2032 battery died, losing my code.

  • After going through public school in the 80s and 90s, receiving a BS in biology and working in public schools for nearly 15 years (in IT) here's my take:

    You don't need a calculator for any math to be taught through calculus (probably even higher). All the problems can be designed to be solved with simple hand written or mental calculations, even trigonometry. You only need a calculator to teach a student how to use a calculator and to avoid simple mistakes and speed up calculations AFTER they have a solid

  • These devices remain popular because they have exactly the functions needed for the material. and not all the other smart device features you don't. It's that exclusion that makes them important. Even when you have a more-enlightened classroom situation, the SAT, ACT, and other standard testing environments need to be able to know you're not looking things up... for example during the science or history portions of the same larger test. So the devices fill a niche, and that's fine. But given the technologi
  • With two kids needing a calculator, the teacher recommendation was for the TI-84 and it's hefty price tag. But when searching on-line, I've discovered the Numworks calculator. Not only is it 100$ cheaper that the TI, it works much quicker, and is programmable in my preferred language: Python. Also all project is open sourced i.e. my son printed a 3d case in his preferred color. All the source code, schematics and BOM is online, so in case something breaks, you can fixed yourself. It's now the teacher recomm
  • The article wraps up with a suggestion that we need to invest more in classroom education so there's not inequity between students who can and can't afford a graphing calculator. I'd suggest we need more competition in the graphic calculator space. No way in hell this should still cost $100.

  • TI introduced me to programming. (Score:3)

    by twocows ( 1216842 ) on Tuesday November 26, 2019 @01:14PM (#59458340)
    Back in 2004-2008 when I was in high school, we had school-provided TI-82s or 83s, I can't remember which. When you're bored in math class because they're going over the same thing you already know for the 20th time, you start fucking around. Eventually I found the menu that let you make TI-BASIC programs and started playing around with it. It had a lot of built in functions but since I didn't have the bright idea to look up what they do, there was a lot of trial and error involved in figuring it out, but to me it was like a puzzle. Eventually I was able to program a tiny program that solved the quadratic equation because at the time they were hammering the hell out of that on homework and tests and I was sick of doing it for the 90 millionth time (I learned it by memory after like the 8th or 9th time, they really overdid that shit).

    After that, I moved onto more game-y stuff because hey, I could make games with this now, and to a high school kid that's the coolest shit ever. I introduced my friend to it and he went absolutely balls to the wall, eventually learning TI assembly and making much more interesting games than I did (most of mine were text adventure-fare, he made an actual shoot-em-up). Both of us went on to get our degrees in computer science from the same college (and he went on to get his masters, which I never did), but we both got our start screwing around on TI calculators in high school.

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