Technology Commission’s Excellence in Technology Award Finals Thursday, November 12, 2015 - 9:15 AM-10:15 AM Presenting: Brian Macon, Math Professor, Valencia College Description: Students who take college-level math courses must purchase a Texas Instruments graphing calculator for $100. This has been a requirement for 20 years. Much research has been produced in those 20 years that show learning gains for students who use graphing tools compared to those who do not; hence it is a good justification to require the graphing calculator. There is no debate that graphing calculators are a valuable learning tool for students; they allow students to visualize theoretical concepts, explore and investigate new topics, and check required analytical (by-hand) work. Graphing calculators are a wonderful tool that can be used to engage students in active learning through unique activities in and out of the classroom. In today’s world, most scientists/engineers don’t carry around a hand-held graphing calculator but instead have mobile devices such as phones, tablets or laptops with even better capabilities than a graphing calculator. This year I ran a pilot study to not require a hand-held calculator in an effort to save money for students. I have used web-based tools (almost all free) to replace the graphing calculator and it has been successful. Most students have smart phones, tablets or laptops in class; so it has been relatively easy to implement the use of web-based graphing tools and apps. I am excited about the results so far and am looking forward to implementing more tools over the next few years. As instructors, we can still use visual tools for learning in the classroom, in fact we should use those tools. However, we no longer need to require a hand-held calculator to harness the power of visual tools, in fact we shouldn’t require!

1. Letting Go
of the
Graphing Calculator
Brian Macon
Valencia College
Professor of Mathematics

2. My Project
• Goal 1: Reduce cost for students, stop
requiring $120 handheld calculator
• Goal 2: Find free (or low cost)
high-quality alternatives
• Goal 3: Continue using same “calculator”
dependent learning activities
• Active learning explorations
• Project-based learning
• Goal 4: Continue focus on applications

4. Learning Gains
• Multiple studies show increase in access and
instructional time lead to higher test scores1,2
• Even greater success in classes where teacher
had professional development2
• Mere access does not improve learning1
• Using curriculum that blends numerical,
graphical and algebraic methods showed greatest
success in applications1,3
• Improves student motivation, piques interest1,2,3
• Technology helps make math fun and attainable
for all levels!

5. “We believe that our students have all the
biological gifts, the inherent capabilities to learn
anything we teach. This belief shifts the focus
from the deficiencies of the learner to the
condition we create for learning.” – Dr. Sanford
Shugart

6. The handheld calculator is not the only way
to achieve student success:
All About Implementation!
• Active Learning (explorations, scaffolding,
prompts, walk-throughs)
• Authentic Learning
• Project-based Learning
• Varied assessments

7. WolframAlpha
• WolframAlpha used as graphing tool
• Website is free
• WolframAlpha has an app (not free)
• Graphs are static - Not dynamic (unless
pay for Pro)
• Picky with math inputs (steep learning
curve initially)
7

8. Graphing With WolframAlpha
8

9. Calculator Resources
Calculators
• Desmos.com
• Meta-calculator.com
• WabbitEmu
Symbolic
• WolframAlpha.com
• Symbolab.com
• MathCelebrity.com

14. Desmos Demonstration
14

16. Wolframalpha Demo
16

17. Evidence
• Students save $120 not buying handheld calculator
• Use of desmos and wolframalpha are even more
powerful and are FREE!
• Exploratory Learning (student centered)
• Active Learning
• Project-based Learning
• Varied Assessments
• Action-Research project on use of desmos.com
• Qualitative data on use of desmos very positive
based on student feedback
• Collecting data to compare between two online
courses

18. Resources
• Bennison, Anne, and Merrilyn Goos. "Learning to Teach Mathematics
with Technology: A Survey of Professional Development Needs,
Experiences and Impacts." Mathematics Education Research Journal
22.1 (2010): 31-56. ERIC [EBSCO]. Web. 15 Sept. 2014
• Heller, Joan I., Deborah A. Curtis, Rebecca Jaffe, and Carol
Verboncoeur. "The Impact of Handheld Graphing Calculator Use."
ERIC [EBSCO]. N.p., 28 Dec. 2005. Web. 12 Sept. 2014.
• Kastberg, S., & Leatham, K. (2005). Research on graphing calculators
at the secondary level: Implications for mathematics teacher education.
Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education [Online
serial], 5(1). Available:
http://www.citejournal.org/vol5/iss1/mathematics/article1.cfm