Describes four 50-minute lessons in which complex numbers are introduced to year-12 calculus students using hand-held calculators and laptop computers. (ASK)

Asserts that there are numerous advantages to using graphing calculators, including the teaching of higher-level thinking skills and allowing students to draw conclusions about what they are learning. However, mathematics educators face such challenges as teaching students when it is appropriate to use graphing calculators, course-content…

Presents graphing calculator activities that rely on resolving the magnitude and direction form of vectors into their Cartesian components so that they are suitable as applications for vector or trigonometric relationships for years 10-12. (ASK)

Provides an activity to investigate and construct an inductive proof. Claims that this particular example helps students better understand the nature of inductive reasoning and inductive proofs since the expression can be investigated by spreadsheets or calculators, hypothesized, tested, and modeled, both physically and pictorially, to at least…

Describes two activities that involve thinking of slope as rate of change. Uses a calculator-based laboratory, graphing calculator, appropriate probes, and web sites to make the concepts of slope and y-intercept come alive for middle grade students. (ASK)

Presents a portfolio of examples that illustrate how TI-92 technology has been used to support an undergraduate engineering mathematics course by changing it from student-passive to student-active. The instant feedback and variety of possible representations enables a concepts- and applications-driven interactive teaching approach which has led to…

Reports on a research study that examined how some teachers used graphing calculators in their instruction of mathematics, and how their views of mathematics were manifested in the ways in which they chose to use this technology. Suggests that teachers used graphing technology as an extension to the way they always taught the unit. Contains 23…

Studied the effects of calculator type (own calculator versus standard calculator) on student performance and the differential impacts of calculator type for children from a variety of backgrounds. Results for 50 eighth graders show no performance advantages associated with calculator type related to student background, but calculator preferences…

A current project for the Allegany College of Maryland Mathematics Department is using spreadsheets in some of their General Education Mathematics courses. It is important to note that one of the key features of this project is that is does not require an introductory computer course as a prerequisite for any of the mathematics courses that will…

Technology is evolving and now some secondary classrooms see students using computer algebra systems (CAS), however, Zbiek (2003) points out that "graphical representations seem to abound in CAS-using classrooms" and "many [research] studies of the use of CAS depend highly on the graphing component of the tool". Kissane (2001) suggests that with…

In his recent article in this journal, John Gough (2004) concludes that the practical results of the considerable academic research undertaken at the University of Melbourne into the uses and impacts of graphics calculators and CAS (computer algebra systems) should be made more widely available in journals for teachers. This short article is…

This author's mission was to try out some materials being developed by a member of an advisory team, and give feedback about how they worked in the classroom. She was provided with detailed lesson plans, including mental and oral starters, and a list of resources. Her objective was to explore and interpret collected data using ICT in order to draw…

Miniature handheld computers called PDAs are not only bombarding corporate America, but they are also noticeably making their mark on college campuses. The question is, how much impact are they making on the way students learn and instructors teach. These devices were born from a simple calculator and over two decades have transformed into a…

This study was conducted to develop insights into how teachers integrate calculators into their course of study. The researcher met with a fifth grade and a sixth grade teacher to plan and implement a 10-day project or mini-unit focused on promoting calculator use. It was agreed that the project would include activity-based lessons to introduce…

Twenty-seven Louisiana participants in the Middle School Teachers Enhancement Project (MSTEP) were surveyed about the use of the Texas Instruments Math Explorer calculator. An assessment was made to determine the teachers' own existing knowledge of how to use the calculator and guide a program for calculator skill development. Of the 28 total…