Category Archives: Calculator

Back to School with TI-Nspire Navigator

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Update the OS on the Handheld

  1. Download the latest OS for you TI-Nspire handhelds from TI-Nspire™ Technology | Software Updates | Texas Instruments
  2. Connect the handhelds to your computer via the docking station or with navigator hats.
  3. In the TI-Npsire CX Premium Teacher Software, go to Tools >Transfer Tool >Add to Transfer List. Select your OS and start the transfer.
  4. After the handhelds have restarted, choose your language and font size on each handheld.

Rename your Handhelds in the Premium Teacher Software

  1. With the Content Tab selected and the handhelds in the docking station, right click on the name of a handheld and select Rename.
  2. Look for two green flashing lights on the docking station. This will indicate the selected handheld.
  3. Give the handheld a new name based on its position in the docking station.
    Example: Calculator 07.
  4. Lift the renamed handheld from the docking station so the lights stop blinking.
  5. Repeat this process until all handhelds have been renamed. Then place all the handhelds back into the docking station for charging.

This makes it easy to quickly identify any handhelds that are not connected to the network.  By selecting Connected Handhelds in the Content Tab, you can sort your handhelds by name.

Upload your Classes into the Premium Teacher Software

  1. Create one CSV file for all your classes with the following columns:
    • Class Name
      Example: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc
    • First Name
    • Last Name
    • Student ID
  2. With the Class Tab selected go to Class >Add Classes >Upload a CVS file >Next >Browse to select your file >Next.
  3. Map the fields and click Next.
  4. You will see a message that your class(es) and student profiles have been successfully created. Click OK.

In this example, students will use their student ID as both their username and password to login.

Add a Teacher Icon to your Classes

  1. Go to File >Settings >Teacher Preferences
  2. Give yourself a Username and Password and select Add teacher to classroom view.

This is helpful if you want to be a Live Presenter.

Texas Teachers: Press-to-Test for STAAR

Handhelds are required to be in Press-to-Test for the administration of the STAAR test. The following instructions are current as of May 2024.

The directions below will:

  • Disable CAS
  • Limit geometry functions
  • Disable implicit graphing, conic templates, conic analysis and geometric conics
  • Disable inequality graphing
  • Disable Polynomial Root Finder and Simultaneous Equation Solver

Check the TEA STAAR Calculator Policy for any updates.

  1. Go to Tools >Prepare Handhelds >Send Press-to-Test >Enter Test Code…
  2. Enter the Test Code 0000-9486 and click Next.

Innovative Teaching Grant 2018

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In March, I applied for an Innovation Teaching Grant through the Pearland ISD Education Foundation.  The project is described below.

Project Summary

This project will provide the TI-Innovator™ Hubs and TI-Innovator™ Rovers for students to learn to code using the TI-Nspire™ CX calculators that are used in the math classrooms. Participation in this project will afford students interested in the application of computer programming an enrichment opportunity outside the normal math and computer science curriculum.

Purpose

The purpose of the project is to teach students how to code using a device (TI-Nspire™ CX calculator) that is familiar to them and used daily in their math class. This project will introduce students to the basics of coding to help build critical-thinking and problem-solving skills. Programming with TI-Innovator™ technology introduces physical computing and helps spark interest in engineering, robotics and more.

TI recommends 1 hub per 2 students and 1 rover per group of 4-6 students.

TEKS supported by this project include:
Mathematics TEKS
Mathematical process standards. The student uses mathematical processes to acquire and demonstrate mathematical understanding. The student is expected to:
(A) apply mathematics to problems arising in everyday life, society, and the workplace;
(B) use a problem-solving model that incorporates analyzing given information, formulating a plan or strategy, determining a solution, justifying the solution, and evaluating the problem-solving process and the reasonableness of the solution;
(C) select tools, including real objects, manipulatives, paper and pencil, and technology as appropriate, and techniques, including mental math, estimation, and number sense as appropriate, to solve problems;

Robotics and Programming Design TEKS
Critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making. The student uses appropriate strategies to analyze problems and design algorithms. The student is expected to:
(A) develop algorithms to control a robot, including applying instructions, collecting sensor data, and performing simple tasks;
(B) create maneuvering algorithms to physically move the location of a robot;
(C) create algorithms that provide interaction with a robot;
(D) demonstrate an understanding of and use output commands, variables, and sequence programming structure;
(E) demonstrate an understanding of and use jumps, loops, and selection programming structures;
(F) demonstrate an understanding of and use subroutines, accessors, and modifiers; and
(G) apply decision-making strategies when developing solutions.

Objectives

By the end of the first semester, students will have completed all five units of the 10 minutes of code for TI Codes: TI-Nspire™ Technology using the TI-Nspire™ CX.

By the end of the second semester, students will have completed all five units of the 10 minutes of code for 10 Minutes of Code: TI-Nspire™ CX Technology & TI-Innovator™Technology using the hardware supplied by this grant.

Project Description

During the first semester, students will work through the skill builders and applications for the 10 minutes of code using TI-Nspire™ technology. The units will introduce students to the basics of coding on the TI-Nspire™ CX.

During the second semester, students will work through the skill builders and applications for the 10 minutes of code using TI-Innovator™ technology. The first three units will utilize the TI-Innovator Hub™. The last two units will utilize both the TI-Innovator™ Hub and the TI-Innovator™ Rover, since the TI-Innovator™ Hub is used to send commands to the TI-Innovator™ Rover.

Students will meet weekly during lunch or after school to work through each skill builder and application. The skill builders and applications are designed to be completed in 10 minutes.

Findings show that after completing one Hour of Code activity students report liking computer science more, feel that they are better able to learn computer science, and are better at computer science than their peers. (Source: https://code.org/research) Introducing the students to coding on the calculator will encourage students to enroll in computer science courses.

Project Evaluation

Students will work through each unit from TI Codes. A spreadsheet of each skill builder and application completed by each student will be kept by the teacher.

Students will save their programs on the calculator in a personal folder.

Videos of TI-Innovator™ Hub and TI-Innovator™ Rover programs will be shared on social media.

Budget

15 – TI-Innovator™ Hub – $869.25
5 – TI-Innovator™ Rover – $659.75

Awarded May 23, 2018

 

Data Collection – Boyle’s Law

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Yesterday, as part of my Innovative Teaching Grant from the Pearland ISD Education Foundation, my students completed a data collection lab.

Objective

  • Model pressure versus volume using inverse variation

Procedure

Boyles Law Data Lab

Although students were in groups of three to four, each student collected their own data. Members of the group rotated between three jobs: syringe, calculator, directions.

A syringe containing 15 mL of air was screwed onto the gas pressure sensor, which was connected to the TI-Nspire.  The pressure of the air was recorded using the Data Quest App on the TI-Nspire.

Gas Pressure Sensor with Syringe

The gas was compressed to 14 mL, and the pressure was recorded.

Compressing the Air in the Syringe

The pressure reading was also recorded for 13 mL, 12 mL, 11 mL, and 10 mL.

Analysis

An example of one student’s data collection.

Pressure vs Volume Graph

Students noted that as the volume increased the pressure decreased.

The constant of variation was calculated by multiplying pressure and volume.  Then the average  was calculated.

Data Table

Using the mean value for the constant of variation, a model was written and graphed on the scatterplot of the data.

Inverse Variation Model

Results

Students used their models to predict the pressure for a volume of 20 mL and 5 mL.  Based on their predictions, they were able to determine that when the volume of a gas is decreased from 40 mL to 10 mL, the pressure will quadruple.

Breakout EDU with the TI-Nspire

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In March, I will be presenting “Breakout EDU with the TI-Nspire” at the Texas Instruments International Conference in Chicago, IL.

Breakout EDU brings the escape room experience to the classroom by creating ultra-engaging learning games for people of all ages. Games (Breakouts) teach teamwork, problem solving, critical thinking, and troubleshooting by presenting participants with challenges that ignite their natural drive to problem-solve. Participants will use the features of the TI-Nspire, including geometry tools, regressions, matrices, and sliders, to complete a series of challenges, reveal clues, and unlock mysteries in order to win the game. This session will begin with a short introduction, followed by playing the game, and will conclude with a short discussion about the game and how the activity can be used.

I had my department test out my game at our department meeting today.  Two of three groups were able to breakout.

group-1 group-2

The group that did not breakout gave me some feedback regarding their troubles.  I made a few changes to my presentation and clues that will hopefully allow all groups that participate in my session to successfully breakout.

Physics PD

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Three years ago, my district purchased TI-Nspire CX calculators for all 8th grade and algebra 1 teachers.  The following year, they were able to purchase TI-Nspire CX calculators for all geometry teachers.  My campus began purchasing the TI-Nspire calculators a few years before the mass district purchase, but we began with precalculus teachers and worked our way down.  This is the first year that all of the math teachers on my campus have a class set of TI-Nspire CX calculators.  As a result of our transition away from the TI-84+ in the math class, students are coming to science classes with TI-Nspires.  Unfortunately, the science teachers have class sets of TI-83+ or TI-84+ calculators.

I had talked with the math C&I specialist about trying to get the science teachers on board with using the TI-Nspire.  She talked with the science C&I specialist, and we decided to start by providing an overview to the physics teachers.  So this morning I provided the physics teachers in my district with an overview of the TI-Nspire CX.  We only had three hours, so we just scratched the surface with things they can do with the TI-Nspire CX.

I began with a broad overview of the layout of the handheld.  Then I showed them an action-consequence document that I had downloaded from Science Nspired.  Next, we used the CBR2 to practice matching some graphs using the built in DataQuest app.  I purposely planned this activity knowing that the physics teachers have motion detectors and have their students do the graph match activity using the Vernier LabQuest.  Finally, we explored the Science Nspired website.

The biggest concern they had was preventing cheating on test.  I showed them how to put the handheld into Press to Test mode.  Since they do not have class sets of TI-Nspires we decided that it would be best to have students take their calculators to their math teachers in order to get the handheld out of Press to Test mode.

The feedback from the physics teachers was positive.  Although they do not have constant access to TI-Nspires in their classrooms, they walked away feeling more comfortable with helping their students that do have them and allowing those students to use them on tests.

I also learned something from the physics teachers.  In physics, the scales on the axes are often different.  They told me that students are trying to find slope of a line by counting grid lines between points, not recognizing that the horizontal and vertical units of the grid lines are not the same.  I am going to suggest to the math teachers that we begin giving students linear graphs where the axes do not have the same scale and ask the students to find the slope of the line.  Our students will benefit from some graphical literacy.

Data Collection – Exponential Part 2

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Objectives

  • Record the successive maximum heights for a bouncing ball.
  • Model the bounce height data with an exponential function.

Procedure

Bounce Back

Groups of three students used a motion detector to collect the height of a bouncing ball for 5 seconds.

Ready to Bounce

Ready to Bounce

Bouncing Ball

Bouncing Ball

Analysis

An example of one group’s data collection.

Bounce Height Data Quest

Height vs Time Graph

Students determined the maximum height of five successive bounces.  They put the data in a List & Spreadsheets Page.

Bounce Height Data 1 Bounce Height Data 2

The data for the first and fourth bounce was used to mathematically determine an exponential model that would fit the data.  They plotted their data and model on a Data & Statistics Page.

Bounce Back Exponential

Calculated Model

Then they had the calculator find the exponential regression for their data.

Bounce Back Regression

Exponential Regression

Results

Most groups found their model and the exponential regression to be very similar.

Data Collection – Exponential

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Today, as part of my Innovative Teaching Grant from the Pearland ISD Education Foundation, my students completed their third data collection lab.

Objectives

  • Record temperature versus time for a cooling object.
  • Model the temperature of an object as it cools.

Procedure

How Cool It Is

I had a crock pot of hot water.  Each group of three students were given a cup of the hot water.  They placed the temperature probe in the hot water for about 30 seconds, then removed the temperature probe and allowed it to cool.  The calculator collected the temperature data for three minutes.

probe in water

Temperature Probe in Hot Water

probe cooling

Temperature Probe Cooling

Analysis

An example of one group’s data collection.

Temp DataQuest before exp fit

Temperature vs Time Graph

Students determined that an exponential model should fit the data.  They had the calculator graph the exponential regression for their data.

Temp DataQuest

Temperature vs Time Graph with Exponential Regression

The exponential model did not appear to be a very good fit.  They determine that the exponential model should have an asymptote at room temperature.  So they adjusted the collected temperature values by subtracting the room temperature.  Then they sent the data to a Data & Statistics page for further analysis.

The data for 20 seconds and 160 seconds was used to mathematically determine an exponential model that would fit their adjusted temperature data.  They plotted their model, then compared their model to the exponential regression using the adjusted temperature data.

Temp with Plotted Function

Calculated Model

Temp with Regression

Exponential Regression

Results

Most groups found their model and the exponential regression to be very similar.

Data Collection – Inverse Variation

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Objectives

  • Model pressure versus volume using inverse variation

Procedure

I had some extra time after reviewing for a test in one of my classes, so I got out the gas pressure sensor for us to model pressure versus volume. We had studied direct and inverse variation.

Since I only have two gas pressure sensors, we did this as a class demonstration using the TI-Navigator Live Presenter and one of the gas pressure sensors. One student had the calculator to capture the data and another student had the sensor with the syringe of air.

Most of my students are sophomores and are currently in Chemistry. They have not studied the gas laws, yet.  Before we started capturing the data, I had the student with the sensor increase and decrease the volume of air in the syringe. We looked at what was happening to the pressure and predicted that inverse variation would model the data.

Analysis

Pressure vs Volume Graph

Pressure vs Volume Graph

Pressure vs Volume Table

Pressure vs Volume Table

We looked at the table and saw that as the pressure increased, the volume decreased. We calculated the constant of variation by multiplying pressure and volume.

k Column

Constant of Variation Calculated Column

The constant of variation was relatively constant. The average was 20.4.

We plotted the inverse variation equation Inverse Variation Equation on our graph.

Pressure vs Volume Model

Inverse Variation Model

Data Collection – Quadratic

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On Friday, as part of my Innovative Teaching Grant from the Pearland ISD Education Foundation, my students completed their second data collection lab.

Objectives

  • Record height versus time data for a bouncing ball.
  • Model a single bounce using both the vertex and standard forms of a parabola.

Procedure

That’s the Way the Ball Bounces Instructions

Since my subject partner’s classes were not participating in the data collection, we had ten CBR2 to share among all students in the class.  With several students out for a pep rally, students were able to work with a partner, and each student collected his/her own data.  Students dropped a racquetball below the CBR2 motion detector.  The CBR2 collected data for position vs time for 5 seconds.

Ball Bounce

Analysis

An example of one student’s data collection.

Bounce Data

Positive vs Time Graph

Students chose one bounce to model.  They selected the bounce and struck the outside data.

One Bounce

One Bounce

Then they sent the data to a Data & Statistic page to analyze the bounce.

Scatterplot of One Bounce

Scatterplot of One Bounce

They traced along the scatterplot to find the coordinates of the vertex.  They used the coordinates of the vertex to plot a function in vertex form.  Students had to change the value of a until they found the best fit for their data.

Scatterplot Vertex Form

Vertex Form

Then they expanded the vertex form to get the equation in standard form.  This student’s equation was Vertex to Standard Form.

Next they had the calculator find the quadratic regression for their bounce.

Scatterplot Regression

Quadratic Regression

Students compared the expanded vertex form equation to the standard form from the regression.  They found that the vertex form equation they had plotted was very similar to the standard form equation from the regression.

Students answered the questions on the record sheet.

That’s the Way the Ball Bounces Record Sheet

Conclusion

More than one student commented, “That was fun.”

Some of the juniors mentioned that they wished the had the TI-Nspire in Physics class.  They had recently done an experiment using the TI-84s with the motion detector to see how long it takes objects of differing masses to hit the ground.  They commented that it was easier to use the motion detector with the TI-Nspire.

 

 

 

 

Data Collection – Linear

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On Wednesday, as part of my Innovative Teaching Grant from the Pearland ISD Education Foundation, my students and my subject partner’s students completed their first data collection lab.

Objectives

  • Model data using a linear equation.
  • Interpret the slope and intercept values from a linear model.

Procedure

Case 4 Flipping Coins Instructions

Due to larger than anticipated class sizes, time constraints, and limited 1982 pennies, students worked in groups of three to collect data for one set of pennies (pre-1982, 1982, or post-1982).  In a class of 30, four groups collected data for pre-1982 pennies, two groups collected data for 1982 pennies, and four groups collected data for post-1982 pennies.  After each group collected their data, the data was shared with the class and compared.

Data Lab

Results

Pre-1982

Pre-1982 Pennies

1982

1982 Pennies

Post-1982

Post-1982 Pennies

Students found that pre-1982 pennies were the most dense and post-1982 pennies were the least dense.  Based on their results, they determined that the composition of the penny changed in 1982.

Students interpreted the slope as the “weight” per penny and the y-intercept as the “weight” of the bucket.

For homework, the students completed the Case 4 Flipping Coins Evidence Record.

Case 4 Flipping Coins Evidence Record

Follow-up Questions

Today, I sent the students some follow-up questions using the TI-Nspire Navigator Quick Polls to assess their understanding.

I showed the students the graph below and asked “Which object weighs more?”.

follow-up graph

The results from one class period:

Q1

Almost every student correctly identified the correct answer.  All other periods had similar results.

Then I told the students, “The equation to model Object 1 is y = 0.5x + 0.5.  The equation to model Object 2 is y = 0.7x + 0.5”.  I asked, “What is the weight of the bucket?”.

The results from one class period:

Q2

Every student correctly input the correct answer.  All other periods had similar results.

Finally, to truly test their understanding of the meaning of the slope and y-intercept, I told the students, “You weighed 5 objects and found the weight to be 10 N.  The bucket weighed 0.5 N.”  I asked them to “Write an equation to model the weight of x objects.”.

The results from four class periods:

Q3     Q3

Q3     Q3

The first two classes needed some reteaching regarding slope.  The last two classes did better, but there is still room for improvement.  My last class period did not participate in the follow-up questions due to class orientation meetings during their class period.