 I have written a review here of the
previous model, the TI-83 Plus, which contains the essentials that single this
calculator out. The TI series starting from the TI-82, then the TI-83, has
always been my prefered model and is recommended throughout MathsNet,
particularly as the calculator of choice for A-Level studies. I have had a
TI-84 Plus and TI-84 Plus Silver Edition in my possession for some time now and
never experienced any problems with them.
One other issue that may be
relevant to some schools is the the calculator, with all its "special powers"
does rival some software that schools may already have. A school equipped with
interactive whiteboards, and suitable open-ended software for graphing,
geometry and statistics, may feel this calculator is superfluous. However, even
then, the calculator has the unique property of being individual to the student
using it: the student can do some maths themselves independently of the
classroom or teacher.
The main barrier to their developed use among my
Sixth Form students is fundamentally cost and then, secondly, the scepticism on
their part that the calculator will really improve their grades (which
again comes down to cost). There is no barrier in terms of the technical
capabilities of the calculator. I suppose a partial solution is for TI to make
VERY generous offers to schools for buying class sets.
So what does the
TI-84 bring to the table?
- a USB port for direct communication
with your PC
- improved and faster display (2.5 times
the speed of the TI-83)
- an impressive list of "APPS": finance,
algebra, CBL, Cabri, conics, inequalities, probability simulations,
transformations
- memory increase from 160K (TI83) to
1.5 MB
- no symbolic algebra or
calculus
Note how Cabri has crept
in there: interactive geometry on your calculator! The significance of the last
mentioned (non) attribute is it means these calculators are still eligible for
use in public A-Level and GCSE exams. |
