TI celebrates 40th anniversary of calculator with new line of products for math education
TI's new nspire technology and the first electronic handheld calculator. |
Forty years after inventing the world’s first handheld electronic calculator and changing the way math was taught to generations of students, TI is again transforming math education by introducing the next generation’s technology:
TI-nspire™ products for math learning.
The TI-nspire products are the first sets of learning technologies to offer the same user experience in a handheld and corresponding computer software program while presenting math in multiple ways. The benefits of this approach are based on research that shows each student learns math in different ways, whether it’s a graph, table, equation or written form.
“An understanding of math prepares students for future success, and the TI-nspire is designed to help them understand concepts on a deeper level, ultimately increasing achievement,” said Melendy Lovett, president, TI’s Education Technology business. “Building on innovations of the past, we are now ushering in a new era of learning technology, which we believe will shape math education for future generations.”
The TI-nspire products build on four decades of innovation beginning in 1967, when TI scientists Jerry D. Merryman, James Van Tassel and Jack Kilby invented the world’s first handheld electronic calculator. The original prototype performed four functions (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division), had 12 bytes of memory, ran on batteries and weighed nearly three pounds. It was a significant advancement over previous electronic calculators, which were approximately the size of a typewriter, weighed nearly 55 pounds and needed to be plugged into a power source.
It took approximately 2 years of development for the three scientists to engineer the handheld electronic calculator. They applied for a U.S. Patent on September 29, 1967 with the prototype code named “Cal-Tech” that would shape the future of education technology. In 1974, TI introduced its first commercial electronic handheld calculator.
“Once we accomplished the portable calculator, the possibilities were astonishing. It triggered the consumer electronics revolution and was the precursor to devices like cell phones,” said Merryman. “Another major impact was on math education—and the millions of students who have improved math learning because of technology. The TI-nspire technology is a major advancement that will continue to transform how students learn math.”
TI conducted extensive research and product testing and sought teacher input when developing TI-nspire products. The company added computer-like functionality and features that help students broaden critical thinking skills and make meaningful connections between the different ways math is represented.
TI-nspire products are being used in more than 150 pilot classrooms worldwide. Qualitative results show that students are more engaged and excited about math and want to continue using the TI-nspire technology, and teachers are recommending the new technology to others, because it gives them new teaching tools to reach all students.
“The TI-nspire opens up a whole new world of possibilities, which has helped me to think differently about how I teach my students,” said Eric Butterbaugh, Algebra and Geometry instructor at Bread & Roses Integrated Arts High School in Harlem New York. “My students were comfortable with the TI-nspire after 1 week and had mastered the features within 6 weeks.”
Commemorating the historical invention of the handheld electronic calculator and marking the launch of the TI-nspire products, TI is hosting a series of events, including: A donation of TI-nspire products and several historical calculators to the educational technology archives at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History; a temporary exhibit of the 1967 prototype and TI-nspire products at the Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas; and a traveling display to several education conferences this fall, where teachers will be able to meet one of the inventors.
For more information about the new TI-nspire products and the 40th anniversary of TI’s invention of the electronic handheld calculator, please visit: http://education.ti.com/nspire/press. |
