The kids are back in school and this year's list of supplies is more technological than ever. I remember having to use a sliderule in high school. Now everything is done on calculators that are like miniature computers. Fortunately, Texas Instruments has been keeping up the advances in technology to provide calculators and handheld graphing tools of great quality as always.
We looked at two Texas Instruments handhelds: the TI-Nspire CX and the TI-84 Plus C Silver Edition.
The TI-Nspire CX is a graphing handheld that helps understand abstract concepts in math and science. With it you can perform calculations, graphing and geometry. You can also create lists, spreadsheets, enter notes, and summarize and analyze data and statistics. With the Vernier DataQuest™ Application you can create a hypothesis graphically and replay data collection experiments all in a single application.
Math and science have never been easier to understand thanks to the TI-Nspire CX's multiple representations of expressions in problems. Students are better able to visualize how algebraic, graphical, geometric, numeric and written forms of those expressions relate to one another. This handheld also features dynamic linking across documents and multiple representations to allow students to interact directly with the math by seeing how manipulating one form simultaneously changes all the others.
Learning math has never been so colorful! The TI-84 Plus C Silver Edition graphing calculator features a high-resolution, full-color backlit display. The vivid colors allow students to distinguish between multiple graphs and plots with color-coded equations, plots and objects. It also makes graphs easier to read by adding grid lines.
The TI-84 Plus C the same TI-84 Plus family functionality that has made it a best-seller. The same menu structure and navigation as the TI-84 Plus family makes it an easy tool to pick up and learn. The built-in MathPrint™ functionality allows you to input and view math symbols, formulas and stacked fractions exactly as they appear in textbooks.
You can also gain a deeper understanding of math and graphing by importing images from a computer to the calculator and graph on top of the images to create an engaging learning experience.