TI-84 Graphing Calculators for Economically Challenged Students
Help me give my students 5 Texas Instruments TI-84 Plus CE graphing calculators and a Texas Instruments Ti-84 plus graphing calculator to graph their math problems.
Our public charter school is situated in the lower Mississippi Valley, and it is considered a math and science school. Our school is one of the top schools in the area.
Success comes in all kinds of ways and we are proud that our school is one of the most diverse in the state of Louisiana and we serve a student population that comprises a 63% minority with very diverse socioeconomic backgrounds.
A vast majority of our students will choose scientific careers. We offer 29 Advanced Placement courses, with many in AP science and math each year: Biology, Environmental Science, Chemistry, and Earth Science, Calculus AB, Calculus BC, and Physics, to name just a few.
My Project
I wish to get 6 TI-84 graphing calculators to supplement my existing set of 15 so each student in the class will have his/her own calculator for rich and important learning experiences.
TI-84 graphing calculators are pricey and many families cannot afford one.
However, graphing calculators are crucial to the success of our math activities.
In our Precalculus course, we graph polar equations and explore how changing parameters changes the graph. The equations are complex and are nearly impossible to graph by hand. The interesting and beautiful designs resulting from graphing polar equations with a graphing calculator can spark students’ imagination, and can lead to questions and discussions about the intersection of nature and mathematics.
In addition, as students explore the curved nature of polar equations, we investigate the motion of robots and robotic machines and the computer programming that allows these robots to move with fluid circular motion. This exploration is most effective when each student has their own calculator so they can take the path that most closely matches what they are intellectually curious about. For students who don’t have their own calculator for this activity and have to share with their neighbor, the genuine curiosity to explore is often lost. Thank you very much for considering my proposal.
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