I just finished an online course on how to use the CASIO ClassPad 330, and I have owned a TI-Nspire CAS since they were first released. In addition, over the years I have used MathCAD, Maple, Maxima, and Mathematica. I have been using some of the CAS capabilities in my upper level classes, but usually only to help answer a question we had. I went to a conference in June called USACAS just outside Chicago, and the things that I saw were amazing.
The kneejerk reaction from many math teachers is that CAS is bad. I mean, for about $150, you can buy a CAS enabled calculator that will essentially do all the skills we teach in the high school curriculum – including AP Calculus! So the first thought is usually that we must keep these things out of the classroom, otherwise what is the purpose of what we teach? That was my reaction initially as well. Now my reaction is to ask that question more purposefully. Why do we teach what we do? Too many math courses focus on the algebraic manipulation that CAS was built for. I am not saying that students should be unaware of how to do the manipulation, else how would they know when it goes wrong. But we spend too much time on it, often to the exclusion of the big ideas.
Ever since I realized that problem-based learning is what we should be focusing on, I have come to regard CAS as a helpful tool. Not to replace the learning of skills, but to supplement and and enable the learning of the skills. For those math teachers who complain that it is not the way they learned it, I only ask how many people today remember any of those skills unless they are directly involved in teaching them. Very few.
I say we use CAS.
23 July 2008 at 3:17 pm |
How do you think the ClassPad compares to the TI-Nspire CAS? In general?
23 July 2008 at 4:41 pm |
Good question, and I can only give a partial answer at the moment as I do not actually have the physical handset for the CASIO ClassPad yet. For the online course that I took I downloaded emulator software onto my computer in order to complete the lessons.
As far as the hardware is concerned, the ClassPad seems to be more intuitive for me to use, particularly because of its stylus and “drag and drop” functionality. I also regularly use a Tablet PC, so the stylus is comfortable. I have found the arrow keys on the TI-Nspire somewhat clunky to use, and do not even get me (and my big fingers) started on the alphabet buttons.
As for the software, the CASIO has some amazing interoperability among its various applications. You can insert Geometry, Spreadsheet, Graphing, and many more apps inside a single eActivity, and use the eActivity background to have the results from multiple apps interact with one another. I have not had formal training on the Nspire, but the few times I tried to do something similar on it, it did not seem to be able to do as much, but that may be my lack of experience with the Nspire.
A definite drawback to the ClassPad is the fact that is not allowed on various standardized tests because of the stylus and/or QWERTY soft keyboard. However, as a classroom instructional tool it is great.
I have purchased a class set of TI-Nspire CAS calculators for my Calculus BC class to use this year. I stuck with the Nspire primarily so that the students can use it on the AP exam.
The bottom line is that I am still learning about both. I tend to not use any calculator as a full-on teaching tool, but rather as a tool for the students in their problem solving. Occasionally I will point out specific things the calculator can be used for, but not much more than that. Although the lessons in the Online ClassPad class really gave me some ideas to think about in terms of how to use the technology more proactively.
11 August 2008 at 4:31 am |
12 August 2008 at 9:24 am |
I found your site on technorati and read a few of your other posts. Keep up the good work. I just added your RSS feed to my Google News Reader. Looking forward to reading more from you down the road!
19 August 2008 at 10:35 am |
Thanks Alex!
3 November 2008 at 8:07 pm |
I believe that we should use CAS as a platform for a higher aim in math education. I firmly believe that we should concentrate more on the concepts and applications rather than in the mechanics of the calculations
3 November 2008 at 8:35 pm |
John, I do agree with you up to a point. I do think that facility with calculations can help people have a better sense of what is going on. Too much reliance on CAS and students lose their understanding of what the technology is doing for them, and then why they are doing it. A lot depends on what the students want to do. Students who want to major in math (a minority, I know) should be comfortable with the calculations while understanding how they fit into the bigger picture. Students who just need to take math and use it like they would drive a car, less emphasis on the calculations is probably okay. The problem is that few students know what they will ultimately be doing and so high schools tend to want to prepare them for all possible routes.