The calculators are being used in many different classes, ranging from Algebra 1 all the way to Pre-Calculus.  Along with these new calculators comes the navigation system, a way for the teachers to see what students are doing on the calculator and ways to teach you through their own calculator.

“The navigator, I think, is fabulous because I can see instantly what you guys are thinking, you guys get to lead the class by showing what you’re doing on the calculator, so it’s beneficial to you guys as well, then it’s more of an interactive classroom than just sitting there watching the teacher play with the calculator,” Vaughn said.

She has been shooting for a more “student-lead” environment as a personal goal of hers, and these calculators have been providing this, since teachers can pull up what students are doing right then and there on the calculators onto the board so students can explain how they are working the math problems.

Math Department chair Kathleen Robeson has said that the goal this year was to have more hands-on learning with students.

“It’s more of students doing, students experiencing new things instead of all teacher demonstration, and with those practices and Common Core coming we’re shifting towards using technology and more student-centered, student facilitated learning, students taking ownership of what they want to learn and how they want to learn it,” Robeson says.

There are some downsides to this new system, but Vaughn chooses to look past them and try to help the students as much as possible.

“Some students, for some reason, accept their phones being newer than they do [the] calculators being newer, so you meet it with some resistance like, ‘I don’t wanna learn this by the calculator, just tell me what to do.’ But for the most part I see more pros than cons with this calculator,” Vaughn says.

Submitted by guest contributor Kendall Foley