[Blindmath] [Blind math] Scientific calculator for high-school student

[Ken Perry]

Not in most cases in fact the new core standards are pretty clear when you
can use certain calculators and when you cannot.  Of course that is once
they come  in to play.  Some states like Georgia allow a student to use a
calculator that does the quadratic equation function on a test that tests
students if they can solve the equation but they also require the work.  So
if the student gets the right answer and does it wrong then they get it
wrong.  In that case there is a problem because I don't think they have a
standard on how a teacher grades that. I mean do they get it all wrong half
wrong or what.  

In most cases students have to work the problem out and test their answers
with the calculator.  I will also point out in the 90's Utah had a question
on the state college exam that if a student used an HP 48 or a I think it
was a TI89 at the time they would get the problem wrong if they didn't know
how to setup the calculator correctly.  I as a blind student was the only
one to get that test problem right in my class because I used another method
rather than graphing it on a calculator to find out how many times the graph
changed directions.

I can tell you with all the teachers I have talked to during the development
of the Orion TI-84 Plus most say that they do use Graphing calculators but
they teach the concepts and make sure students understand them before they
are allowed to use them to speed up more advanced concepts.  That doesn't
mean there are not some people abusing the use of Calculator s  in the class
room but I think it is an incorrect assumption to think all united states
schools are over using them in fact I think it is a gross exaggeration.

Ken

-----Original Message-----
From: Blindmath [mailto:blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Susan
Jolly
Sent: Saturday, November 16, 2013 2:51 PM
To: blindmath at nfbnet.org
Subject: Re: [Blindmath] Scientific calculator for high-school student

I'm confused.  Do students just learn keystrokes now and no longer have to
understand the underlying math?

SusanJ
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