Some sharing this sentiment seem to assume that students using calculators
will not also be using computers. I agree that it would be improper to
force a student to use a calculator when s/he could perform the same task on
a computer or otherwise. But I don't believe calculator proponents
disparage computer usage.
Many people who are quite facile with computers still use a calculator for
some tasks. When I worked in the aerospace industry (more than 10 years
ago), all the analysts had computer terminals at their desks (we worked on a
mainframe back then) and ALL had pocket calculators.
I'm reasonably familiar with Derive, Mathematica, Mathcad, and Matlab, but
I use a graphing calculator more often than all my math software packages
combined. For most of my tasks, I can get answers from the calculator more
quickly than the time it takes for my laptop to boot up (let alone the
additional time it takes for Mathematica to load its kernel). If I wanted
to keep a record of my work, I'd use something other than a calculator, but
for quick and dirty answers, I find using a computer too slow and clumsy.
Of course I work in the lofty ivory tower of a community college, so my use
of calculators and computers won't reflect the real world. But I do know
that even though I have a food processor essential for several of my
recipes, I do most of my slicing, chopping, and mixing without it. The
computer is unquestionably a wonderful tool with a multitude of
applications, but it is not the only useful tool, nor is it always the best
tool.
Bruce Yoshiwara
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