LZ: Promoting TI-85s and ZShell in schools

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LZ: Promoting TI-85s and ZShell in schools

Eric Barker (rbarker@polarnet.com)


In my school there is a TI-82 Basic program going around called Drugwar.  
This is some kind of text RPG that involves drugs and gangs and all the 
things teachers don't like.  Teachers are getting really tired of 
students saying "Did you get the crack yet?" and stuff like that.  And 
this year there seems to be a new fad of bringing your calc to class, 
there are about 2 to 5 people every English class who have there calcs.  
So you can see that they are getting real tired of programs.  I do think 
that because it takes A LOT more time to make a ZShell game than a 
TI-Basic game, they are higher quality and have a lot more thought 
proccess put into them.  I do think that people should stop making these 
"Cindy Croford in 8 grey scales!" programs, it really gives ZShell a bad 
name.  Most of the teachers say that they don't like the TI-85 because 
it's "too hard to use" but most of those teachers haven't used them much 
at all.  For one thing they don't like the solver because it will do the 
math for students, I know a teacher that would rather have students get 
a TI-82 than a TI-83!!!  The biggest problem is that many students that 
buy TI-Calcs buy them just before (a couple of weeks) before their 
Freshman year because the teachers require them.  So I need some way to 
target the teachers so they will start to suggest TI-85s.  This is going 
to be hard.


By the way, I keep hearing people talking about teachers erasing 
calculators.  I don't see how they can legaly do this unless you are 
barrowing their calculator.  Just tell them it's yours and it's not up 
to them to erase your posssion.