From a slide rule to "There's an App for that!" Mathematicians have striven to make calculations less cumbersome since Pythagoras and his theorem. When Texas Instruments released the Nspire app , many mathletes (i.e. junior, high school and college students) rejoiced at the promise of a robust graphing calculator right on their own iPad. So did TEA… when they announced that students taking the 8th Grade Math STAAR test in 2015, could use calculator apps on mobile devices.
So what does an instructional technology leading district like Katy ISD do? They pilot it.
One of our junior highs took the Math STAAR test using the Nspire App on the school's iPads. Earlier this year, I was privileged to observe the class using the app. The teacher introduced a new lesson with an interactive piece. Students were using the TI-Nspire app on classroom iPads exploring the concept. While participating in the activity, students were involved in whole class and small group discussions. Students then recorded their discoveries and findings on paper.
So what's the big deal and why write about it? Good question.
- The teacher thinks it's a good deal because it's an instant wireless transfer of Nspire Activities from the Npired website to all 30 iPads. Also, she can project the App on the SMARTboard via Apple TV. While she is teaching, she doesn't have to stop to explain how to navigate through the calculator (more about that in #4). Also, if you were a math teacher using the handheld Nspires, remember when we had to update the operating system at the beginning of each school year? You know, that burdensome process of downloading the update, and doing a file transfer from one handheld to another… No need to update the software, the app can be configured to update automatically. She can also make sure her students are on the app using Casper Focus.
- A parent would think it's a neat deal if they already have an iPad, the app is less than a quarter of the price of the handheld calculator. Also – parents do not have to worry about losing the calculator, it's loaded directly on the device. (Note - it's not available on the Google Play store yet, but who knows what the future can bring?)
- I ( your friendly CTD) think it's an exciting deal because I remember the days of the TI-73s (and the TI 84s and the 89s. When the Nspires came out they were so advanced, they weren't even called calculators anymore! They were called - handhelds. I had to go to professional development to learn how to use it. With the Nspire App, no need to take a class. There's an interactive tutorial and plenty of videos on the internet out there. Another reason I like the Nspire app is that it integrates with Canvas. For example, Ms. Skinner's students can translate, rotate, and reflect an object on the calculator and send the work directly to Canvas for assignment submission. If you need more reasons on why I like the app, I have plenty, but it's not about me.
- The big deal is what the students think. Students were highly engaged. When asked if they liked the app vs. the handheld calculator, all of the students agreed that the layout of the app is better. Although the Nspire handheld CX is color, the app is on a bigger screen with touch functionality. All students were engaged and working in their groups. They were participating with a hands on activity and they were able to effortlessly navigate through the app. Ms. Skinner didn't stop instruction once to teach a student how to proceed through the activity. The app is intuitive and students are able to do calculations and graphs with ease.
If the kids like it and they are learning, that's a really big deal. If you'd like to know more about the app, contact your friendly classroom technology designer.
If you've ever used a slide rule, then you have to appreciate modern technology, right? If you don't know what a slide rule is, Google it and thank your stars you never had to use one in College Calculus!
