Re: TI-89 and AP Test
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Re: TI-89 and AP Test
Peter Ammon wrote:
>
> The College Board allows the new TI-89 on the AP Calculus AB and BC
> tests.
<SNIP>
> Comments?
>
> -Peter
IMHO, this debate is just the tip of a much larger
question concerning the use of electronic aids
in the classroom.
From time immemorial, there have been (at least)
two philosophical factions adressing the use of
anything other than the student's brain in theprocess of learning , or
more specifically, the
verification of that learning. I strongly suspect
that when writing was introduced, some of the
Traditionalists decried it as weakening the memory,
since having a written record of the information
removed the need to memorize. Likewise with the
spread of modern arithmetic : the algorithms would
have displaced rote memorization of the infamous
" times tables ".
The other side of the argument is that by using
such " trickery ", a student is freed from the drudgery
and mistakes which inevitably accompany a lengthy
recitation or calculation, and is thereby able to devote
attention to the real point of the subject- be it literary
or mathematical, or whatever.
The modern gadgets at the heart of these disagreements
are conceptually no different than the much older methods
of writing and calculational algorithm ; they just look
different. Using a calculator to determine trigonometric values is
exactly the same as looking up the values in a trig table and
interpolating ; it's just faster and more accurate.I am not saying,
though, that these devices can or should replace a true understanding of
the processes involved.It is vital that the student know which
algorithms to apply, and in what order. The point I make here is that
while accurate computation ( or spelling) is required, accuracy is
absolutely no substitute for understanding. Accurately spelled gibberish
is still gibberish.
As with most similar debates, the antipody is greatly
exaggerated.Yes, it is essential that a student should be able to
recognize when a calculation is in error, and should know where the
process went wrong. It is just as essential, though, that the student
know when the calculation is required, and should be able to relate why
a procedure is or is not appropriate to the situation at hand.
These ideas are not unfamiliar to good teachers. Indeed, I would say
that the problem of integrating technology into the classroom is one of
the foremost problems confronting educators as the century draws to a
close.
JLandis
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