I agree that you have a really good point. I personally take my TI to school even though I don't have math - calculating grades, etc. However, I do play games, but not in the middle of academic classes. Things like PE when we are allowed to do whatever we want or AP Computer Science when we finish our work 10 days early are good periods for playing on our calcs.. Still though, talking is more fun :)

Thinking back to my history with TI Graphing Calculators, I can't really say that I have ever played games during classtime in school. I can say however that the calculators aren't really a help to me, academically, because they are not allowed on exams and quizzes -- Even moreso in college. I cannot use my TI 85, TI92, or TI92+ on any exam or quiz in college. Everything has to be done in your head and on paper if you want to do actual math - which makes it hard to find the TRIG function of some really odd number.

Anyways, I really have never played games until I recently (three months ago) obtained my TI 92 and played my fav game, Tetris. I love the graphics, that's all I can say about that!

I do enjoy playing games on my calculator and I don't think it's fair/right for teachers to take the calculators away from the students, but the students shouldn't be playing them during academic courses unless the class is completely finished.

I have never had a problem with a teacher taking my TI 85 away in highschool. Actually they were all amazed at it's progammability both in Asm and in Basic - they supported me insead.

In this country we supposedly have the freedom of choice. Thus we should have the choice to listen or not in class; if one is playing a claculator game in class the teacher should be happy that that person is not disrupting. Teachers should be more accepting of this versital tool. There is no point in taking away your calcualator and getting all worked up about "those Damn TI claculators", for a few reasons #1) it leaves you with less to do so then you find yourself talking to a friend next to you thus disrupting others learning #2) It is your right to quitely not listen #3) where in sam hell did teachers think they got the right to take things away from you that have no other disruption effect on than you IT's YOUR CHOICE to listen or or not listen to learn or not learn in school.
-Troy

I totally agree!! I think that teachers shouldn't have the right to fuss with students as long as it doesn't affect others. I think teachers are there to teach regardless of whether students learn or not.

Your right! Teachers shouldn't care if students are playing calc games in class! It's our education and I feel we have the obligation to ruin it if we want. And not that calc games would ruin our education anyway! As long as you are not playing them during IMPORTANT parts of the class, who cares? Teachers should be happy that we can program at all. Programming is more interesting and more important than alot of than the stuff they teach us, anyway!

In case you haven't noticed, many of our personal freedoms have already been sacrificed "to maintain the order and discipline of the institution." So, although you can choose not to listen, the teacher can also tell you to put away your calculator. For the same reason schools have dress codes (although at my school it is limited to no offensive sayings or suggestions on clothing along with a few other things). Schools can also tell you not to curse or swear or use certain phrases and words like "shut up" or "crap" or "suck." This a blatant suspension of the first amendment. You also cannot bring a firearm onto school grounds, despite our right to keep and bear arms (second amendment). We also do not have the right to due process in schools (fifth amendment). The Supreme Court has ruled on this before and has stated that it is okay to suspend certain personal freedoms in schools for the better good.

Do you get the point in that the teachers are in fact able to suspend our personal freedom dealing with the use of our calculator priveleges (among other things)in their class?

That's entirely correct. Who is being referred to in the phrase "All men are created equal?" At the time it was only white men over the age of 18. The constitution wasn't written with anyone else in mind, such as women or blacks. Black votes were considered 2/3 of a person, and women couldn't vote. Those things have changed but the age still applies, today you really don't have any constitutional rights until your 18, like personal freedom or voting.
And if you don't live in the united states never mind.

Wandering a bit off of the subject now, arent we?

Oh, we have a freedom of choice eh? So i can CHOOSE to go and kill someone or rob a bank today and I can't get in trouble because i'm protected under our constitutional right to choice. Cool

yeah, you can choose to do that. Just remember that the authorities can choose to kill you or imprion you if you make a choice they don't like.

Explain to me, somebody, why you cannot express a strong feeling in words other than 4-letter anglo-saxon expletives? Postulate I wish to express my distaste for a homework assignment. I could say "This sucks," or I could say "This is pointless and trivial, an utter waste of my time".
Please note that the latter is not only more expressive but also does not violate conventional rules of politeness.
Also, may I inquire why one would want to carry a firearm to school? In the first place, to follow the law, you would have to be 21 in order to have purchased a firearm. How many graduate students carry guns, I wonder? And how many high-schoolers, grade-schoolers, or even many college students have the maturity to carry a firearm and to avoid using it for trivial purposes? Or, could we be seeing the school hallways chosen as the next gang-war battlefield? About the freedom...anybody here read John Locke's theories? (I think it was him) about how individuals choose to give up certain freedoms in order to gain greater benefits from the organization they sacrifice to? School is a privilege, not a right. (For some reason, I can sense the flames already. *shrug*)
$.02.
--Piloter

NO you are wrong school is a right otherwise there wouldnt be any public schools. And also contrary to poular belief the majority of american schools are not war zones and only a small fraction of the student population carries any form of weapon to school. how do i know well i have attended school which people have classified as "gang" schools. And again contrary to popular belief not all people feel the need to use an expletive every other word. I dont know what your background is but you dont seem to know how most people (or at least of the ones i know) truly behave and act

That is incorrect logic. Public schools are not a "right", they are a want that is provided by the public through taxes. You don't need schools. People could survive without them, as people did, and do now, without schools.

The teachers are trying to keep kids from wasting their lifes away playing games. I admit, I have no self control and I play games during math and physics (never in any others). Sometimes I wish my teacher would say something just so I would know he even notices im in his class. A good teacher is one who trys to keep his students focused. Any teacher who is taking away a calc is doing so becuase they care enough about their students to want them to learn and pass the class with a good grade.

Bullsh*t. Students should have the sole right to decide whether they pay attention or not. If they dont know their crap they will be punished by bad test grades, if the do then there is no need for them to listen.

Wasting their life away playing games ??? I don't think there are many cases of people who played games a lot in high school, and later became bums who lived to play video games.

I agree, why do they care if you are not disrupting anyone? Also, where do teachers get the right to take away our stuff?

BS! Yeah, like the calculators aren't considered academic tools since we play games on theme. Second of all, teachers don't look down on these calculators because we play games on them, its one of those never ending wars between us and them. And they are by no means going to stop us. Any why did TI put 94k of mem on a calc, programs, obviously. Yes, it is possible to have a lotta Math and Science stuff, but TI also realizes that we want memory for GAMES!!! Even if you get your memory erased, its not that hard to get MORE games, especially now with utilities like Mem-Locking and a greater percentage of people with the Graph-Link. So, lamer, stop fighting for the teachers, GAMES FOR EVER!!!

Dude, grow up! Seriously, the "us vs. them" thing has gone too far. They're not out to get us! If teachers really cared about us playing games in their classes, they'd do something about it. In my English class, for example, the teacher will issue a warning if he even SEES a TI calc, because he knows that they have nothing to do with English. The next offense gets it taken away, to be picked up at the end of the period. That's all. They have nothing against us personally, it's simply their job to make you want to learn.

Another thing; If you insist on the never-ending war against the adult world, here's a news flash: YOU WILL LOSE!! They're older, have more authority, probably know more than you do, can earn more money, and, if it cames to an all-out brawl, they're bigger than we are. So lighten up! Try agreeing with the teachers, instead of going against them.

It is not their job to make us want to do anything. They are not there to attempt to force us to form opinions about learning or anything else. There sole purpose is to ensure that we have a basic understanding of what they are teaching.

Thay had BS back then?