Then, the expected life of software and hardware. My experience is
somewhere in the three year range.
So for a BS degree, students are expected to buy two laptops and several
revisions of software?
How could they ever make the payments on their BMW Z3s then?
Larry Gilligan
______________________________________________________________________
At 07:09 AM 4/9/99 -0700, RayM wrote:
>I think you missed the point. I thought the purpose of school was learning
>skills that could be used outside of school, like learning how to use a GUI
>interface.
>Simple math problem:
>What is tuition for one year at YOUR CC?
>What is the MTBF of a laptop? (The MTBF of the graphics calculator is
>irrelevant:
>as you effectively said, it's useless outside of class.)
>What fraction of the cost of the laptop should allocated to its use in math
>class?
>What is the incremental cost of the laptop?
>
>
>
>Then
>Will the laptop have benefits beyond the narrow confines of math class?
>What are the approximate net present values of those uses?
>In particular, in a job interview, when I ask, "Do you have experience with
>Windows NT?", and the candidate answers, "No, I used a TI-89" what do you
>think my response should be?
>
>Finally, do a cost/benefit comparison of a graphics calculator with a
>laptop.
>
>
>
>
>
>----------
>> From: Edward Laughbaum <elaughba@math.ohio-state.edu>
>> To: RayM <raypublk@san.rr.com>
>> Cc: mathedcc@archives.math.utk.edu
>> Subject: Re: [MATHEDCC] factoring
>> Date: Friday, April 09, 1999 05:36
>>
>> At 06:24 PM 4/8/99 -0700, RayM wrote:
>> [snip]
>>
>> >As for graphics calculators, I rarely see them. When I walk through LAX
>or
>> >Dulles, I do see a lot of laptops. I'm part owner of a $12M/yr dollar
>> >company and every engineer there strongly prefers his Pentium with 21"
>>
>> >monitor over any calculator. Most of the machinists use either 4
>banger
>> >or cheap scientifics. I asked a scientist at SAIC (~$1B/yr) if anyone
>used
>> >graphics calculators there. The response was, "What's that?" NO ONE
>that
>> >I know uses graphics calculators. Most employees have a computer on
>their
>> >desk and everyone has access to at least one computer. I work with a
>> >second company of about the same size and I have seen a graphics
>calculator
>> >there once: a technician was taking a course at a CC and he had to learn
>> >how to use the stupid thing. Now that the course is over he is
>irritated
>> >at the waste of money. Laptops are now selling in the $700 range.
>Given
>> >that laptops can support email, spell checkers, web browsing, GUI
>> >interfaces, CDROM drives, and a very long list of related things that
>will
>> >be useful in Literature, History, English, Chemistry courses, and life
>> >after graduation, my advice would be to use the money that might go into
>a
>> >graphics calculator to buy the best laptop you can or to upgrade one
>that
>> >you already own. There may be a few isolated companies where the
>graphics
>> >calculator culture is strong and I would advise CC instructors to survey
>> >industry in their area before devoting much time to using these devices.
>> >
>> >Ray M
>> >raypublk@san.rr.com
>> __________________________________________
>>
>> Ray,
>>
>> You missed a few very important points about graphing calculators. You
>seem
>> to have the impression that their only function is to do mathematics. The
>> main function of the graphing calculator is that it is a teaching tool.
>The
>> problem is that many teachers don't yet know how to use it in this way,
>so
>> it becomes a math tool to them - to do things like checking pencil and
>> paper work, a use of lessor importance. Perhaps this was the experience
>of
>> your technician. Also, if the technician was in a class where the
>> instructor was using a traditional text with a graphing calculator, this
>> may have caused the irritation because these materials were just not
>> designed for the calculator, and are many times inappropriate. Another
>> point is that the number of CC students who can afford a notebook at $700
>> will fit in a thimble (OK, maybe a room or building). So, a notebook
>isn't
>> feasible. Finally, calculators now come with FLASK ROM, thus we can now
>buy
>> educational "software" for our calculators. This will soon include
>software
>> (applets) in all disciplines. Please note ephasis on the word
>"educational
>> software." The graphing calculator is a teaching tool that happens to do
>math.
>>
>> I understand your position on the calculator in industry, but I think you
>> mis-judged its function in teaching. There is no need to survey local
>> industry for their use as a math tool. It is a teaching tool.
>>
>> Ed
****************************************************************************
* To post to the list: email mathedcc@archives.math.utk.edu *
* To unsubscribe, send mail to: majordomo@archives.math.utk.edu *
* In the mail message, enter ONLY the words: unsubscribe mathedcc *
* Words in the Subject: line are NOT processed! *
* Archives at http://archives.math.utk.edu/hypermail/mathedcc/ *
****************************************************************************