College/University Acceptance of TI-Nspire

[Kim]

Homecoming was last night.  I had the opportunity to talk to quite a few of my past AP Calculus students.  As I asked them where they were at in school, many of them commented that they were not allowed to use their TI-Nspire.  It didn't matter the type of TI-Nspire (CAS or Numeric).  It didn't matter the math class they were taking.  There seemed to be a ban for the TI-Nspire.  The excuse given was that "you can save stuff on it."  Since I have saved many of things on my TI-84 inside of programs, lists, APPS I'm frustrated that this is the reason for the ban.  I warned them that there was a strong possibility that CAS might not be allowed in other classes.  I don't want to blast the university, but wonder... Is this a nation wide trend at the university/college level?

[Tony]

I work with a large community college part-time. IMHO, the problem some
instructors have with the Nspire and non-Nspire calculation tools is a
lack of knowledge of how to use the tool themselves. Some professors do
not believe technology tools are needed for advanced mathematics; they
did not use such tools themselves, so why should their students.
Academic freedom is infringed upon in requiring the use of tools...My
daughter had a TI-83 calculator and her roommate had a TI-84...their
professors required the use of a specific calculator for class...long
story short, they traded calculators.

If I had restrictions about using a tool in the class, I would learn the
necessary skills to solve problems by the professor's methodology; all
the while I would use the tool to check my work.

Tony

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[Chris]

I would say this is fairly widespread.  In my experience with some large universities, mathematics departments tend to see the calculator as a crutch and are having influence on some local school districts.  Mathematics and mathematics educators sadly do not see eye to eye and this is a source of the problem - mathematics teachers not seeing it from the mathematics educator point of view.  Hopefully this relationship will improve over time but it has a very long history.  There are some colleges that embrace it - they just seem to me to be less frequent than those who ban it.  I agree with Tony also that sometimes it is due to their own lack of knowledge of the tool.

Chris

On Sep 28, 2013, at 8:40 AM, Kim <kats...@me.com> wrote:

Homecoming was last night.  I had the opportunity to talk to quite a few of my past AP Calculus students.  As I asked them where they were at in school, many of them commented that they were not allowed to use their TI-Nspire.  It didn't matter the type of TI-Nspire (CAS or Numeric).  It didn't matter the math class they were taking.  There seemed to be a ban for the TI-Nspire.  The excuse given was that "you can save stuff on it."  Since I have saved many of things on my TI-84 inside of programs, lists, APPS I'm frustrated that this is the reason for the ban.  I warned them that there was a strong possibility that CAS might not be allowed in other classes.  I don't want to blast the university, but wonder... Is this a nation wide trend at the university/college level?

--

[Travis Bower]

I see several things

1 The current close-to-retirement profs are on the tail end of the GC advent.  Many are not interested in a retro-fit to their curriculum.  They also tend to be the decision makers and/or the holders of the purse strings.  Some are, however.

2 They are pre-informed.  This is a much kinder approach than to maligning them with 'arrogant and ignorant', which I sometimes shamefully do in my infantile frustration. <smirk>

3 They test with a heavy emphasis on procedures and algorithms.  This is fine when supplemented with exploration.  Why not make two parts to a test?

4 Tony's point is well-worth repeating...lack of knowledge and lack of felt need.

5 It requires some academic diligence to learn how to effectively use this powerful tool appropriately.  That is where we come in, to educate and encourage.

6 I think some are blissfully oblivious to the free and low cost online tools.  Why not bring those tools into the classroom?

7 The excuse used to be lack of technology.  Now projectors connected to computers are more common.  I think even this is now a bit antiquated with appletv.  Using an emulator is such a valuable form of instruction.  Especially if the teacher passes around a wireless mouse and all students get an opportunity to 'pilot the aircraft'.  

8 I wonder if some profs see the Nspire as a high school only tool?   Again, merely pre-informed.

9 Embrace the 3 stepping stones of programming: Notes, TI BASIC, Lua, rather than bemoaning that a program does it all.  Have them write their own QuadFormula.tns that shows solutions, graphs.  Personalize with students using their initials instead of A, B, C.

10 Assign bigger problems that incorporate and necessitate multiple representations.

11 Join the 8MP of CCore, especially use app. tools strategically, model.

Others much more informed and eloquent than I have expounded upon this situation, but this is good for me to develop my philosophy.

On Sat, Sep 28, 2013 at 11:39 AM, Tony <abca...@gmail.com> wrote:

I work with a large community college part-time. IMHO, the problem some instructors have with the Nspire and non-Nspire calculation tools is a lack of knowledge of how to use the tool themselves. Some professors do not believe technology tools are needed for advanced mathematics; they did not use such tools themselves, so why should their students. Academic freedom is infringed upon in requiring the use of tools...My daughter had a TI-83 calculator and her roommate had a TI-84...their professors required the use of a specific calculator for class...long story short, they traded calculators.

If I had restrictions about using a tool in the class, I would learn the necessary skills to solve problems by the professor's methodology; all the while I would use the tool to check my work.

Tony

On 9/28/2013 8:40 AM, Kim wrote:

Homecoming was last night.  I had the opportunity to talk to quite a few of my past AP Calculus students.  As I asked them where they were at in school, many of them commented that they were not allowed to use their TI-Nspire.  It didn't matter the type of TI-Nspire (CAS or Numeric).  It didn't matter the math class they were taking.  There seemed to be a ban for the TI-Nspire.  The excuse given was that "you can save stuff on it."  Since I have saved many of things on my TI-84 inside of programs, lists, APPS I'm frustrated that this is the reason for the ban.  I warned them that there was a strong possibility that CAS might not be allowed in other classes.  I don't want to blast the university, but wonder... Is this a nation wide trend at the university/college level?
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[michael williams]

Lack of knowledge is a big reason the other that i have been told is because the cas does symbolic manipulation and that you can save things on it. I think it is a shame that schools are not allowing these tools in class it is a good thing to learn how to do the math by hand but sometimes tools are a good thing i think it is more that professors have a unilateral wet dream to reject these calculators because they did not use one hey times and i don't think they have the right to force their beliefs on the students they teach

[Adam Pennell]

I teach at a small college, and our department uses the TI-Nspire CX CAS and the navigator in our classes.  We believe the combination allows our students to learn math more effectively.  However, I do agree that most colleges and universities do not use the Nspire.  I agree with Tony that one of the big reasons that professors are not using the Nspire is lack of knowledge.  I think this lack of knowledge comes from two main sources.  The first is that some professors just don't care about teaching, and they have no interest in reaching students.  I hate that, but there is not much that can be done about them.  The other source is that college and universities just don't hear as much about the Nspire as high schools do.  If you look at most of the marketing and workshops that TI runs, you will see that they are not aimed at colleges.  I believe that many teachers and professors at community colleges and small colleges would be open to learning more about the Nspire.  Many of these groups are using the TI-89.  So, they are open to using technology as an education tool.  If they were exposed to the Nspire, I don't see why they would not adopt it.

Adam

[John Hanna]

Years ago there was a branch of T³ called ‘Transit’ – PD for the college folks by the college folks. It was successful in limited markets.

 

I believe the US Naval Academy is now distributing TI-Nspire CAS to the incoming plebes. I was there twice last year to convince them that it was a step up from the T89’s they used to use. Found this: http://www.usna.edu/Users/math/cgg/_files/documents/2013/tinspire_notes.pdf. NOTE THE FIRST OF THE “Common Errors” at the bottom of the page!!!

 

     John Hanna

     jeh...@optonline.net

     www.johnhanna.us

     T³ - Teachers Teaching with Technology

     "the future isn't what it used to be."

 

---

[John Hanna]

1. All students in this course are expected to have a calculator like the TI-Nspire CX CAS which can graph and do symbolic calculations.

 

The above comes from the USNA SM121 (Calculus I) Syllabus notes found at

http://www.usna.edu/MathDept/_files/documents/courses/fall2013-2014/sm121-syllabus-fall2013-2014.pdf

 

 

     John Hanna

     jeh...@optonline.net

     www.johnhanna.us

     T³ - Teachers Teaching with Technology

     "the future isn't what it used to be."

 

[Ray Fox]

It might be worthwhile to refer them to the NCTM core value about using technology.

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Ray Fox

National Board Certified Math Teacher (AYA)

Regional T3 Instructor

[hastern]

I adjunct at Lehman College (CUNY system).
They have a policy prohibiting ANY technology on examinations in the Calculus sequence -- even a scientific or 4-function calculator.
Their rationale is that they co-require a class in Maple or Mathmatica with calculus, and so they want to keep the calculus portion strictly pen-and-paper. Any material requiring technology is to be covered in the Maple class.

[Luke Setzer]

It behooves college applicants to research these matters when applying to colleges, especially in terms of transfer credit.  Lovers of the TI-Nspire may find they can take their mathematics and science core sequence at a college that embraces the TI-Nspire and then transfer those credits to the college they would normally choose via articulation agreements.  By that point, the upper level courses may actually allow the TI-Nspire.  This is an insight that high school teachers would benefit their students by sharing with them.