DALLAS, 2 October 2007 — Forty years after inventing the world’s first handheld electronic calculator and changing the way math was taught to generations of students, Texas Instruments (TI) is again transforming math education by introducing the next generation’s technology: TI-Nspire products for math learning.
The TI-Nspire products (www.ti-nspire.com) are the first sets of learning technologies to offer the same user experience in a handheld and corresponding computer software program while presenting math in multiple ways. Students are able to see and make connections among up to four representations of a problem at one time, on one screen, including graphical, algebraic, numeric, geometric or written formats.
The benefits of this approach are based on research which shows that each student learns math in different ways, whether it’s a graph, table, equation or written form. Students learn concepts more readily and with deeper understanding when they see a problem represented in different ways and are able to choose and evaluate various problem-solving strategies. TI-Nspire technology allows students to change values and observe the results in real time, which dramatically reduces the time needed to see how various concepts are linked and allows teachers to focus on teaching math, not manipulating multiple technologies.
“Students who take more math courses succeed in college at much higher rates and have the potential to earn more than those who do not. An understanding of math prepares students for future success, and the TI-Nspire is designed to help them understand concepts on a deeper level, ultimately increasing achievement,” said Melendy Lovett, president, TI’s Education Technology Business.
TI-Nspire products are being used in more than 150 pilot classrooms worldwide. Qualitative results show that students are more engaged and excited about math and want to continue using the TI-Nspire technology, and teachers are recommending the new technology to others, because it gives them new teaching tools to reach all students. The new TI-Nspire technology includes the following compatible components:
*TI-Nspire Handheld — students can see and explore multiple representations of a math concept on a single screen. It comes with an interchangeable keyboard that provides the same keystroke functionality as the TI-83 Plus and TI-84 Plus family of graphing calculators. With either keypad in place, the TI-Nspire handheld can be used on all major university exams.
*TI-Nspire CAS (Computer Algebra System) Handheld — encompassing all the functionality of the TI-Nspire technology with built in CAS capabilities for exploring, evaluating and expressing numeric problems and variables symbolically. The CAS Handheld is approved for use on all high-stakes exams except for the ACT.
*TI-Nspire Computer Software and TI-Nspire CAS Computer Software — compatible with Windows and Macintosh computers, and provides the same capabilities as the TI-Nspire handhelds. The software allows students to see and use the familiar interface and capabilities of the handhelds on their computers at home or in class.
The products are currently available through educational product dealers, which are listed at www.ti-nspire.com. They will become available for standard retail purchase in 2008 and will cost approximately the same as TI’s advanced graphing products. The world’s leading math and science education publishers are developing materials specifically for use with TI-Nspire technology, including Glencoe/McGraw Hill, Key Curriculum Press, McDougal Littell, Pearson Addison-Wesley, Pearson-Prentice Hall, Wiley Publishing and Wright Group.
