[Blindmath] Determine wether you need (or will be allowed) to use a scientific verses a graphing calculator

Sat Nov 16 13:04:16 UTC 2013

Pawin - my son has experience with both calculators (the Scientific
Accessible Calculator - the Orion TI-36 and the Graphing  Accessible 84+).
They have filled very different needs for him.  From your description of
what you will need it sounds like the Scientific Calculator is more what you
need (the Orion TI 36) which is more available than the graphing calculator.
We did discover though that this calculator has one major limitation as
opposed to the calculator your sighted peers will be using and that is it
does not simplify radicals.  

It is possible to work around this limitation because you can simplify
radicals manually - it is just something to be aware of.  He was lucky in
his high school in that the Special Ed Director was a Math Specialist so she
compared all of the Accessible Calculators that were available and none of
them simplified radicals which will be an important skill for you in this
course so you may want to be ready to focus on the manual work for that and
may want to make your instructors aware.  Usually you can purchase direct
from Texas Instruments (who worked with Orion to produce both the Scientific
36 and the Graphing 84) a computer emulation version of the calculator that
your sighted peers will be using.  In my son's case, the school standardized
on the TI 30XS.  However, my son's school would not allow him to use the
computer version because they did not want him to be able to access programs
that would allow him to store data on the computer for testing purposes.
That is a decision you will need to work out with your school.

If the school will let you use a computer emulator to do your work for the
same calculator the rest of the class is using - it will be easier for you
as the keystrokes to perform the functions will be the same as the other
student's keystrokes.  The Scientific Orion 36 keystrokes are going to be
different than everyone else's calculator so you will need to learn the same
functions they do - but your keystrokes will be different.  The website link
for the calculator emulation software for the TI MultiView 30XS is
http://education.ti.com/en/us/products/computer_software/ti-smartview-softwa
re/ti-smartview-emulator-software-for-the-ti-30x-ti-34-multiview-calculators
/tabs/overview.    If you can use emulation software on a computer instead
of a physical accessible scientific calculator, your keystrokes will be the
same.  In addition, the emulator will simplify radicals which is a skill you
will find useful to be automated.  You will probably use this again in
physics.

So my advice is to get with your teacher and find out if you need a graphing
calculator (the TI 84+) or a Scientific Calculator (the Orion 36) is one.
If it's a Scientific Calculator you need, advise the teacher your Orion 36
will not simplify radicals - but if you can use a computer software package
to emulate the calculator the class is using - you will be able to use the
same keystrokes and have the same functionality as the rest of the class.
The school may have a emulation version of the calculator the standardize on
already that you can use because a lot of schools teach from it.

If you need to purchase the Orion 36 - there are lots of places to do that
and it is available.  There are other options though and depending on your
level of vision and whether you want the calculator to be able to talk with
or without headphones you may choose a different one.  I only have
experience with the Orion TI 36.  Here is a website that gives you some
options to research
http://www.visionaustralia.org/living-with-low-vision/learning-to-live-indep
endently/using-technology-and-computers/technology-overview/accessible-calcu
lator-options.  You really need to lock down though whether you need a
graphing or a scientific calculator before you do anything else though.

Mary Woodyard
Parent of a visually impaired high school junior

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Today's Topics:

   1. Scientific calculator for high-school student (?????? .)
   2. Re: Scientific calculator for high-school student (sabra1023)
   3. Re: Scientific calculator for high-school student
      (Susan Osterhaus)
   4. Re: Scientific calculator for high-school student (Pranav Lal)

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Message: 1
Date: Sat, 16 Nov 2013 06:00:20 +0700
From: ?????? . <pawin35 at hotmail.com>
To: "blindmath at nfbnet.org" <blindmath at nfbnet.org>
Subject: [Blindmath] Scientific calculator for high-school student
Message-ID: <BAY178-W8EAC925F66392A469025FA8FB0 at phx.gbl>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

Hi, the members of Blindmath mailing list  I'm a visually impaired person
currently enrolled in the high-school curriculum emphasizing on scientific
and mathematic study in Thailand.
 Through my primary to middle school, we are not allowed to use any kind of
calculator in the examination room so I never own one.
 However, since the introduction of high-school curriculum, my instructor
told us that we are ?required? to use the scientific calculator in the
examination room. Furthermore, from looking at the exercise sheets that my
instructor has given me, it is quite impossible to solve the questions by
hand (at least in the time given for the test); thus, the requirement above.
 This set me on a quest for a talking scientific calculator which led me to
find the Orion Ti-84+ talking calculator that fits all my needs.
 Unfortunately, my contact with APH this morning reviewed that the unit will
not be available until next year. (Which is way past my examination date.).
So, here is my question: is there any way that I can get this calculator
from other than APH?
 Or, is there any talking scientific calculator that is comparable to the
Orion?
My requirement right now is that it must do fraction and scientific
notation, can work with many levels of parenthesis, be able to calculate
trigonometric function, universal exponent and root, and solve real number 1
variable equation If anybody has any information or recommendation please
let me know.
Thanks in advance
P.S. sorry for my bad English.
P.S.2. Sorry if this is the duplicate; I didn't see my previous post on the
list.
Best regards
Pawin
list of 5 items
? 2013 Microsoft
Terms
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Developers
English (United States)
list end

------------------------------

Message: 2
Date: Fri, 15 Nov 2013 17:50:12 -0600
From: sabra1023 <sabra1023 at gmail.com>
To: Blind Math list for those interested in mathematics
	<blindmath at nfbnet.org>
Cc: "blindmath at nfbnet.org" <blindmath at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [Blindmath] Scientific calculator for high-school student
Message-ID: <5C3712B7-8F13-449D-8894-F0E4A2707B7F at gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain;	charset=utf-8

I don't know of any comparable calculator. Here in the states, it's already
available through APH. They might be backordered. I don't know though
because I'm not getting one. If it is an issue of it just not being released
in Thailand, you could find a person or organization in the states that
could purchase it and ship it to you if you gave them the money or some sort
of arrangement like that. The main calculator I use is on my notetaker,
which is a braillenote from humanware. You could also type the formulas and
two Microsoft XL and had it solve them. There is also a computer program you
could purchase called the audio graphing calculator, but I used it in high
school, and found it difficult because it could only understand limited
equations. Microsoft XL does do a lot though. It might even be better then a
calculator on the note taker because you can do lots of things with big
strings of numbers.

> On Nov 15, 2013, at 5:00 PM, ?????? . <pawin35 at hotmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Hi, the members of Blindmath mailing list I'm a visually impaired 
> person currently enrolled in the high-school curriculum emphasizing on
scientific and mathematic study in Thailand.
> Through my primary to middle school, we are not allowed to use any kind of
calculator in the examination room so I never own one.
> However, since the introduction of high-school curriculum, my 
> instructor told us that we are ?required? to use the scientific 
> calculator in the examination room. Furthermore, from looking at the
exercise sheets that my instructor has given me, it is quite impossible to
solve the questions by hand (at least in the time given for the test); thus,
the requirement above.
> This set me on a quest for a talking scientific calculator which led me to
find the Orion Ti-84+ talking calculator that fits all my needs.
> Unfortunately, my contact with APH this morning reviewed that the unit
will not be available until next year. (Which is way past my examination
date.).
> So, here is my question: is there any way that I can get this calculator
from other than APH?
> Or, is there any talking scientific calculator that is comparable to the
Orion?
> My requirement right now is that it must do fraction and scientific 
> notation, can work with many levels of parenthesis, be able to 
> calculate trigonometric function, universal exponent and root, and solve
real number 1 variable equation If anybody has any information or
recommendation please let me know.
> Thanks in advance
> P.S. sorry for my bad English.
> P.S.2. Sorry if this is the duplicate; I didn't see my previous post on
the list.
> Best regards
> Pawin
> list of 5 items
> ? 2013 Microsoft
> Terms
> Privacy
> Developers
> English (United States)
> list end
> 
>                         
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Blindmath:
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------------------------------

Message: 3
Date: Fri, 15 Nov 2013 21:15:57 -0600
From: Susan Osterhaus <osterhauss at tsbvi.edu>
To: Blind Math list for those interested in mathematics
	<blindmath at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [Blindmath] Scientific calculator for high-school student
Message-ID: <534df5a974ba276467cc9c5ddf36d64a at mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252

Hi Pawin,

Prior to the Orion TI-84+, we used the Audio Graphing Calculator (View Plus
Technologies) plus the Orion TI-36X (Orbit Research) talking scientific
calculator. The AGC was needed for graphing and matrices, while the TI-36X
was able to calculate most scientific computations (including all or most of
those you mentioned below). However, the Orion TI-36X DOES NOT GRAPH. The
Orion TI-84+ (APH and Orbit Research collaboration with TI) sold out of its
first batch immediately upon its debut and had 643 on back order a month
ago. My understanding is that those back orders will be arriving shortly.
So, apparently (from your APH communication) the next batch of back orders
won't be available until 2014.

Best wishes,
Susan

-----Original Message-----
From: Blindmath [mailto:blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of ?????? .
Sent: Friday, November 15, 2013 5:00 PM
To: blindmath at nfbnet.org
Subject: [Blindmath] Scientific calculator for high-school student

Hi, the members of Blindmath mailing list  I'm a visually impaired person
currently enrolled in the high-school curriculum emphasizing on scientific
and mathematic study in Thailand.
 Through my primary to middle school, we are not allowed to use any kind of
calculator in the examination room so I never own one.
 However, since the introduction of high-school curriculum, my instructor
told us that we are ?required? to use the scientific calculator in the
examination room. Furthermore, from looking at the exercise sheets that my
instructor has given me, it is quite impossible to solve the questions by
hand (at least in the time given for the test); thus, the requirement above.
 This set me on a quest for a talking scientific calculator which led me to
find the Orion Ti-84+ talking calculator that fits all my needs.
 Unfortunately, my contact with APH this morning reviewed that the unit will
not be available until next year. (Which is way past my examination date.).
So, here is my question: is there any way that I can get this calculator
from other than APH?
 Or, is there any talking scientific calculator that is comparable to the
Orion?
My requirement right now is that it must do fraction and scientific
notation, can work with many levels of parenthesis, be able to calculate
trigonometric function, universal exponent and root, and solve real number 1
variable equation If anybody has any information or recommendation please
let me know.
Thanks in advance
P.S. sorry for my bad English.
P.S.2. Sorry if this is the duplicate; I didn't see my previous post on the
list.
Best regards
Pawin
list of 5 items
? 2013 Microsoft
Terms
Privacy
Developers
English (United States)
list end

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Message: 4
Date: Sat, 16 Nov 2013 12:53:40 +0530
From: "Pranav Lal" <pranav.lal at gmail.com>
To: "'Blind Math list for those interested in mathematics'"
	<blindmath at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [Blindmath] Scientific calculator for high-school student
Message-ID: <015c01cee29c$c8699020$593cb060$@gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain;	charset="utf-8"

Hi Pawin,

Will the school allow you to use a program olike Microsoft Excel? That can
do some of what you need.

Pranav 

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