Re: [MATHEDCC] Crossroads Workshops

Roberta S. Lacefield (RSLace@mail.way.peachnet.edu)
Wed, 30 Apr 1997 09:50:56

We require the TI-82/83 in our intermediate course. I wouldn't have it any
other way. With the calculator they can understand immediately why I drone
on about order of operations, restrictions to the domain, literal
equations, defining variables, and more. Many students prefer the
algebraic approach to solving problems but some need the "picture" that a
graph gives them in order to "see" that there may be multiple solutions to
the problems. I don't have to give problems with pretty little integers; I
can give messy, ugly, problems like they will see in the Real (pun
intended) world. I think there is room for multiple approaches to teaching
and learning but I must admit, my biggest problem is understanding why
someone would NOT want them to use a calculator!

Roberta

>At 07:11 PM 4/29/97 -0700, you wrote:
>>The WAMATYC conference was also this last weekend, 212 participants seems
>>to ring a bell. One of the topics discussed was the extent to which
>>graphing technology should be integrated into intermediate algebra. The
>>panel that discussed the issue seemed comfortable with graphing
>>calculators in calculus and pre-calculus but questionable in
>>intermediate. What do you all think?
>>

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