Math Technology-Calculators

In 1996, the Texas high school mathematics and science curricula began requiring the use of scientific and graphing calculators in the classroom. Calculators have been used in the classrooms to help students do their math work on a daily basis and to help students take test. Even though there is many types of calculators most school prove scientific and graphing calculators so that teachers can teach their math and science lessons to their students. Teachers have discovered that using a calculator in the classroom has its pros and cons. They have also discovered that not every student knows the correct way to using a calculator, so they must take the time out to teach their students the correct way to use a calculator or at least give a few tips to help their students with the lesson that is being taught.

The pros and cons have helped and hindered teacher across the United States. The pros being that students can learn higher math and science with just a push of some buttons. The cons consist of the students not really knowing how to use calculators. Some students can use them without even thinking but other students have no idea what a calculator is. When you have to stop and show every student how to use a calculator then you learning is slowed and hard to get through to the other students. Then the ones that know how to use a calculator get bored and stop learning too.

The new Calculators that are coming out are very complex. The Texas Instruments series calculators come with a pretty thick instruction book. If you have lost the instruction book you can go onto TI websiteand find all the instructions you need and they will not charge you for this and they allow you to make copies as needed. It also gives step by step instructions on how to use the different functions of the calculator. Also, if you go to tutorials it will show you a video of how to use some of the functions on the calculators.

references:
Crescent-News_com - Classroom calculator use has its pros, cons(http://www.crescent-news.com/news/article/2895792)
http://education.ti.com/educationportal/sites/US/homePage/index.html
Using a Scientific Calculator In Mathematics Exams (http://www.eioba.com/a32133/using_a_scientific_calculator_in_mathematics_exams)

Dimock, K. Victoria. "Final Report of a Study of the Impact of Graphing Calculator Use on State Assessments ." Oct 2005. Southwest Educational Development Laboratory Building Knowledge to Support Learning. 2 Oct 2008

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