Graphing Calculator's

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Bringing Math Concepts to Life at Robert Morris College by Dawn Henwood

t’s just another Wednesday morning in The effect of the new technology on Clark’s a small applied math class in Chicago’s teaching style has been dramatic. Previously Robert Morris College, but instructor Ed he used up to a third of his class time just ex- Clark is conscious that he’s at the epicen- plaining how to work the calculator and guid- Iter of an educational revolution. Clustered in ing students step by step through complicated small groups, Clark’s students are engaged in keystrokes. Now he focuses entirely on how a hands-on analysis of two competitive cell to work the problems: he’s free to engage stu- phone plans. Because all of the students have dents in what he calls “discovery learning.” In in hand a Dell Axim with MRI Graphing some cases, he’s able to cover a concept twice Calculator software, they’re able to tackle as quickly as it would have taken in the past. the problem at their own pace and in their Clark says that MRI Graphing Calculator own way. With this powerful combination and Pocket PCs have sharpened the focus of of hardware and software, Clark has trans- his teaching. “Just the fact that a handheld formed his classroom into an active math- computer displays colors is huge,” he notes, ematics “laboratory.” “especially when you are working with a Clark and his colleagues have been work- problem that involves plotting and compar- ing with MathResources’ MRI Graphing ing multiple equations. With MRI Graphing Calculator and Pocket PCs for more than two Calculator, every equation or curve you graph years now. Before the MathResources (www. can be given a different color. This makes it mathresources.com) product came on the mar- so much easier to work through problems with ket in 2001, Clark, like many math instruc- my class. With the TI-83 I would constantly tors, struggled for years to integrate the TI-83 have to keep pointing to the different curves graphing calculator into his classes. “At the over and over again and telling my students time it was the best tool available, but it is which was which.” not a computer,” he says. For his students, a Currently, incoming Allied Health students computer is a ready-to-use tool, and the MRI are required to purchase MRI Graphing Cal- Graphing Calculator’s Windows-based inter- culator and a Pocket PC along with their text- face makes it easy for students to transition books. Within the next year, the college will from their familiar desktop or laptop PC to extend the use of MRI Graphing Calculator to the Pocket PC. The learning curve, in Clark’s all ﬁ rst-year students. experience, is “very, very short.” Students can begin using the software almost immediately Dawn Henwood may be contacted at to explore and solve problems. [email protected].

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