Helping Kids Visualize Math With Graphing Calculators

Funded Jan 24, 2012

I want to thank you again for your donors choose donations to my project; graphing calculators for the classroom. My students use graphing calculators for many different things in all of my math classes. In Calculus they use it to interpret the relationships between graphs and their derivatives and to find the numerical derivatives quickly when working with word problems. This allows them to use the information accurately and also predict future outcomes. In Algebra 1 and 2 my students use the graphing calculators not only to solve calculations quicker, but to investigate changes in data. This is particularly useful in interpreting graphs. When looking at transformations in functions for example, the tools and applications on the calculators allow the students to understand how each part of the function effects the graph itself. This is much more efficient and appropriate than graphing everything by hand. Another useful tool the graphing calculators have had is in conjunction with a motion detector called a CBR (Calculator based ranger). I connect the calculator to the CBR and my students can collect real-world data thus giving them an amazing interpretation of data not otherwise possible!

So, as you can see my students are really benefiting from this wonderful tool and I want to thank you again.”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Katz