1-to-1 laptop school and TI-Nspire calculators

[Rex Boggs]

At Hypothetical High School, all students have laptop computers 24/7, and fast and open Internet
access both at school and at home.

Students will already have free access to Geogebra, Excel, Microsoft Maths, Wolfram Alpha, and
heavens knows what else.
If more Maths power is needed, it can be bought relatively cheaply - eg a site license for Autograph
is not that expensive.

For such a school, is there any justification in asking parents to pay an extra AUS $190 for a
graphics calculator?

TIA for any replies.

Rex

[Andy Kemp]

Hi Rex,

An Interesting scenario indeed - in the present climate the primary argument for me would be 'are they allowed to take this laptop into their final exams?' if not then the investment in a graphical calculator is about purchasing appropriate mathematical equipment to maximise their chances in an examination…

Other arguments may relate to the portability and battery life of the laptop vs the graphical calculator or even the comparative size (depending on space constraints on desks etc,,,)

Cheers

Andy

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[lee kucera]

If they are taking ANY high stakes exam--AP Calculus or Statistics, IB Math, SAT, ACT--they can not use their laptop at this time. Hence, the need for a graphing calculator.
lk

TIA for any replies.

Rex

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lee kucera
a.p. statistics
leek...@gmail.com

[Rex Boggs]

From: lee kucera

If they are taking ANY high stakes exam--AP Calculus or Statistics, IB Math, SAT, ACT--they can not
use their laptop at this time. Hence, the need for a graphing calculator.

Being in Australia, and not being an IB school, these specific exams aren't issues for HHS.
Currently all assessment is done internally. Having said this, assessment is still the biggest
problem though. Even with internal assessment, HHS would obviously want control over what resources
the students had access to during examinations.

Is there a way of limiting this?

Cheers

Rex

[Andy Kemp]

I would suggest speaking to people in Norway and Denmark as they allow the use of laptops in their examinations - and so should be better equiped to answer some of these ideas...  I know for example Norway makes heavy use of the Nspire software, but has almost no handheld usage.

 

Cheers

Andy

Rex

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[Travis Bower]

quick thoughts

1 Maybe it is time for someone to create a virtual testing room--they log in and can't minimize the window, they can only go to selected sites.

 

2 Maybe the test needs to be totally re-vamped so that using the full capacity of the laptop/web is encouraged/expected.  There could also be a no laptop portion of the test.

Isn't Common Core headed this way?

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[Travis Bower]

oops, and your question of $$ for hh.  TI needs to adapt to this scenario or at least send out a tendril.

For me, conformity [if that term fits here. unity, homogeneity?] is the key component.  I want all of my students to have the same platform.  This maintains efficiency when teaching. [just try letting anything goes...ti 82-84  a few 85 and 89's and a couple of Nspires, ah throw in some casios and HP's in one single classroom.  Chaos.  You will get nothing done! e.g. teaching regression]

Is conformity worth $130 us???  That is tough.  But, spread that out over 4-6 years.

[Also, I only have so much time to learn new platforms and make my projects/screencasts/screenshots etc., so I want a company that will have some longevity and gravitas]

[Joe]

The fast answer is a resounding no! Some kids parents are poor and
won't have the money and their children will suffer accordingly. If a
school requires that the students have graphics calculators, then the
schools should provide them.

Why is your hypothetical school using the obsolete technology of
laptops? Why not iPads?

If the reason for using/requiring graphing calculators is because
competing technologies are not allowed for tests, that needs to be
fixed as opposed to wasting money that could be put to better use and
I note that such hand held requirements don't pass the smell test.
Any system that prevents competition doesn't smell right to put it
mildly.

P.S. We in advertently have rooms and whole buildings where wireless
won't work because the steel used in the construction acts like a
shield against radio signals.