In this article, the authors describe how to use a TI-73/83/84 graphing calculator and Vernier's LabPro/CBL2 probe system to take pH readings. This is not an endorsement of these products, but simply the authors' attempt to give readers an idea of what is involved in using this technology in the classroom. This activity can be accomplished using a…

The chain rule is one of the hardest ideas to convey to students in Calculus I. It is difficult to motivate, so that most students do not really see where it comes from; it is difficult to express in symbols even after it is developed; and it is awkward to put it into words, so that many students can not remember it and so can not apply it…

This article presents several activities (some involving graphing calculators) designed to guide students to discover several interesting properties of Fibonacci numbers. Then, we explore interesting connections between Fibonacci numbers and matrices; using this connection and induction we prove divisibility properties of Fibonacci numbers.

This paper details the motivation, background, and analysis for studying the effect that an Increasing Achievement on Algebra Assessment (IAAA) workshop for a group of Florida high school teachers had on student performance in state-wide testing. The main focus of the workshop was to provide participating teachers with both instruction and…

For many years, education researchers excited by the potential for digital technologies to transform mathematics teaching and learning have predicted that these technologies would become rapidly integrated into every level of education. However, recent international research shows that technology still plays a marginal role in mathematics…

Assumptions: Today, when technology has taken its place in almost all classrooms in schools and colleges across the country, there is a need to know how technology "influences the mathematics that is taught and enhances students' learning" (NCTM, 2000, p. 24). Rationale: This presentation describes qualitative study which purpose was to…

This article reports on a research effort that investigated whether the use of Microcomputer-Based Labs (MBLs), implemented within an inquiry-based activity sequence on phase transformations (melting and freezing), contributes to the development of fourth grade (9-10 year-old) students' conceptual understanding and ability to construct and…

This document is a collection of lesson plans written by 18 of Ohio's outstanding teachers chosen by the Ohio Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Each lesson plan includes reflection questions and some contain worksheets. Lesson plan titles for primary grades (grades 1-3) are: "Munching Fractions;""Math and…

This booklet contains a representative sample of the efforts of colleagues at 11 institutions to use graphing calculators to enhance the teaching of calculus and precalculus. The first section contains examples of graphs for teachers to choose from for presentations, including: simple examples to illustrate some standard ideas in precalculus,…

This paper reports on a workshop developed to give middle school teachers experience using the TI-73 calculator as a teaching tool and to serve as a model for the introduction of technology into their classrooms. A booklet prepared for the workshop gave keystrokes used for the TI-73 with an emphasis on features that are unique to this calculator.…

How does your calculator quickly produce values of trigonometric functions? You might be surprised to learn that it does not use series or polynomial approximations, but rather the so-called CORDIC method. This paper will focus on the geometry of the CORDIC method, as originally developed by Volder in 1959. This algorithm is a wonderful…

This essay describes the role of graphing calculators in mathematics reform. Among the topics discussed are the history of graphing calculators in mathematics education, recent technological innovations, and professional development opportunities. The case is made for a balanced approach between calculator use and paper-and-pencil techniques.…

This book is designed to familiarize instructors and students with the Texas Instruments Explorer Plus calculator and provide background information and activities for including the calculator in the mathematics curriculum. Materials are included for three workshops and 26 lessons. Lessons are organized by common mathematical topics making it…

This collection of activities is designed to show how graphics display calculators can be used to explore pentominoes and tangrams. Activities include games and puzzles developing spatial relations. Teaching notes, solutions, and calculator instructions are included as are blackline masters. (MM)

This document presents keystrokes for the Texas Instrument (TI-83) graphing calculator. After presenting some basic TI-83 keystrokes, activities for student practice are listed. This is followed by keystrokes for TI-83 advanced functions such as evaluating function values, finding the zero of a function, finding the intersection of two graphs,…