RE: [MATHEDCC] FW: Pocket Calculators -- Good or Evil?

Lindsey, Dr. Charles (clindsey@FGCU.EDU)
Thu, 25 Feb 1999 08:04:14 -0500

I think there's an interesting parallel that's worth pursuing. Pocket
electronic dictionaries and spell-checkers are roughly the same size as
calculators, and although they have not hit the $5 level yet, they are
getting as cheap as regular scientific calculators. Yet we don't hear a
great hue and cry that memorizing the spelling of words, which is far more
tedious and difficult than basic arithmetic facts, should be
"de-emphasized."

Why not?

Chuck Lindsey, Ph.D. clindsey@fgcu.edu
Director of General Education
Associate Professor and Program Leader, Mathematics
Florida Gulf Coast University
10501 FGCU Blvd South
Fort Myers, FL 33965-6565
Phone: (941) 590-7168 FAX: (941) 590-7200
http://itech.fgcu.edu/faculty/clindsey

> -----Original Message-----
> From: John M. Flanigan [SMTP:johnf@HAWAII.EDU]
> Sent: Wednesday, February 24, 1999 9:53 PM
> To: Bruce Yoshiwara
> Cc: mathedcc@archives.math.utk.edu
> Subject: Re: [MATHEDCC] FW: Pocket Calculators -- Good or Evil?
>
> Some questions:
>
> 1. Does repetition of a behavior enhance learning of that behavior (e.g.
> shooting free-throws, speaking lines in a play, playing Bach, doing
> multiplication)?
>
> 2. Does the routine use of calculators at the primary level reduce the
> mental act of doing arithmetic operations?
>
> 3. Does the observation that some college students use calculators to
> multiply 7 by 10 serve as evidence of calculator-induced learning deficit?
>
> 4. Does the fact that calculators can be used to enhance learning, negate
> the possibility that they may also tempt students to avoid learning basic
> operations?
>
> 5. Can a student who requires a calculator to do basic arithmetic do as
> well in college as a student who is able to do basic operations mentally?
>
> 6. Are these fair questions?
>
> John M. Flanigan <johnf@hawaii.edu> The equation is the final arbiter.
> Assistant Professor, Mathematics --Werner Heisenberg
> Kapi'olani Community College The scoreboard is the final
> arbiter.
> 4303 Diamond Head Road --Bill Walton
> Honolulu HI 96816 History is the final arbiter.
> (808) 734-9371 --Edward Gibbon
>
>
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