6 ms·

Just a musing: perhaps its considered not as valuable an investment to program since a (the?) primary market is students, and students are probably not allowed

Just a musing: perhaps its considered not as valuable an investment to program since a (the?) primary market is students, and students are probably not allowed to use phones on tests for obvious reasons (internet connectivity, texting questions to each other, overall distraction). However, TI's are state approved or whatever.

fophillips 13y ago
Never been allowed to use a TI for exams in the UK. I've only ever been allowed to use a Casio.
- cmelbye 13y ago
  It's incredibly common for TI calculators to be allowed on exams in the United States. Several standardized tests specifically allow only TI calculators, along with a few others. I think GP's comment makes a lot of sense. Most students just aren't going to put the effort into learning how to use another graphing calculator program if they can't even use it in class.
- asselinpaul 13y ago
  I am currently in Year 13 in London. You are definitely allowed TI in the mathematics exams (A-Levels). TI-89 is one of the only that is banned because of its CAS. Friends in the French system are allowed the TI 89 though.
  - burriko 13y ago
    Yep, I did Maths A-level in the UK back in the 90s, and a TI graphing calculator was basically a requirement for the exams.
    - fophillips 13y ago
      Interesting, I wasn't allowed to use one in A-Levels or university exams.
  - x0054 13y ago
    Just an hint, you can swap the guts of a TI-89 into the body of a TI-83. Don't ask me how I know :)
  - glomph 13y ago
    I think it depends on the modules/exam boards.
- mbq 13y ago
  Casio also has some powerful calculators, including my beloved Algebra fx2+ and the ClassPad line which slowly converges to a kind of specialised tablet.
- neil_s 13y ago
  Yeah, I used a Casio (non-programmable, but does integrations) for my (British) IGCSEs, a TI for the (International/Swiss) IB, and am back to using 'university approved' Casios at Cambridge.
visakanv 13y ago
It's so sad that kids with iphones aren't allowed to use phones on tests. They're being tested in an archaic context for archaic purposes. Under what circumstances are people going to be working without internet access? School has a lot of catching up to do with the real world. :(
- eurleif 13y ago
  Except that standardized tests are reused, which is another difference from real life problems. In real life, you're not always solving a problem that numerous other people have already solved, and posted solutions to.
- hrktb 13y ago
  I think it's a shame computer like devices (iphone, ipad, what you want) are not allowed. Learning to use them efficiently in a time constrained context would be a really valuable skill. Internet access is a lot more complex though, you'd have to filter what they can access and monitor everything every student is accessing, and that doesn't seem worth it for most tests. Image a scenario where the students just throws any question on a random looking site and some hired expert on the other side writes appropriate answers on the fly. Your test won't have any meaning anymore.
  - visakanv 13y ago
    In which case I think the flaw is with the test, not the student. Why does a kid need to memorize something that he can get on-the-fly expert answers from? Why memorize something you can look up? =\
    - hrktb 13y ago
      The memorizing part is where computer could be allowed. You'll still have to remember how to get the information back though. Now test are flawed by definition, you'll always have to create some artifical restriction to control what aspect you are assessing. Idealy you never test someone by putting him/her in a room with a pncil and paper, you'd assess how good the students cleared real tasks in realistic conditions.

fophillips 13y ago

Never been allowed to use a TI for exams in the UK. I've only ever been allowed to use a Casio.

cmelbye 13y ago
It's incredibly common for TI calculators to be allowed on exams in the United States. Several standardized tests specifically allow only TI calculators, along with a few others. I think GP's comment makes a lot of sense. Most students just aren't going to put the effort into learning how to use another graphing calculator program if they can't even use it in class.
asselinpaul 13y ago
I am currently in Year 13 in London. You are definitely allowed TI in the mathematics exams (A-Levels). TI-89 is one of the only that is banned because of its CAS. Friends in the French system are allowed the TI 89 though.
- burriko 13y ago
  Yep, I did Maths A-level in the UK back in the 90s, and a TI graphing calculator was basically a requirement for the exams.
  - fophillips 13y ago
    Interesting, I wasn't allowed to use one in A-Levels or university exams.
- x0054 13y ago
  Just an hint, you can swap the guts of a TI-89 into the body of a TI-83. Don't ask me how I know :)
- glomph 13y ago
  I think it depends on the modules/exam boards.
mbq 13y ago
Casio also has some powerful calculators, including my beloved Algebra fx2+ and the ClassPad line which slowly converges to a kind of specialised tablet.
neil_s 13y ago
Yeah, I used a Casio (non-programmable, but does integrations) for my (British) IGCSEs, a TI for the (International/Swiss) IB, and am back to using 'university approved' Casios at Cambridge.

visakanv 13y ago

It's so sad that kids with iphones aren't allowed to use phones on tests. They're being tested in an archaic context for archaic purposes. Under what circumstances are people going to be working without internet access? School has a lot of catching up to do with the real world. :(

eurleif 13y ago
Except that standardized tests are reused, which is another difference from real life problems. In real life, you're not always solving a problem that numerous other people have already solved, and posted solutions to.
hrktb 13y ago
I think it's a shame computer like devices (iphone, ipad, what you want) are not allowed. Learning to use them efficiently in a time constrained context would be a really valuable skill. Internet access is a lot more complex though, you'd have to filter what they can access and monitor everything every student is accessing, and that doesn't seem worth it for most tests. Image a scenario where the students just throws any question on a random looking site and some hired expert on the other side writes appropriate answers on the fly. Your test won't have any meaning anymore.
- visakanv 13y ago
  In which case I think the flaw is with the test, not the student. Why does a kid need to memorize something that he can get on-the-fly expert answers from? Why memorize something you can look up? =\
  - hrktb 13y ago
    The memorizing part is where computer could be allowed. You'll still have to remember how to get the information back though. Now test are flawed by definition, you'll always have to create some artifical restriction to control what aspect you are assessing. Idealy you never test someone by putting him/her in a room with a pncil and paper, you'd assess how good the students cleared real tasks in realistic conditions.