Happy New Year to all our readers! Our first exciting event will take place on
Friday - details below. This is an important part of our programme, and we
hope to get a large attendance. If you haven't already booked your place,
please get in touch as soon as possible.
Taking advantage of handheld technology (the network in your pocket)
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Day Workshop
Friday 8 January 1999
InterActive ClassRoom, University of Strathclyde
The TI-89 with Advanced Mathematics Software is a portable symbolic,
numeric, and graphing solution for advanced mathematics and engineering
coursework. It has the appearance of a standard calculator and is
available in the UK. Students can use it instead of working in computer
rooms, and are buying it to solve many of their coursework and exam
problems. The computer algebra system built into the TI-89 will evaluate
mathematical expressions symbolically or numerically, and can be
electronically upgraded using Flash technology to download the latest
software or additional applications. It allows the user to:
- compute exact symbolic solutions to many 1st- and 2nd-order ordinary
differential equations
- find eigenvalues, eigenvectors, functions of matrices (like e A), and LU
or
QR decompositions
- solve systems of linear and nonlinear equations and display the results
in
general or matrix formats
- solve single or systems of differential equations using Euler or Runga
Kutta
methods, and graph slope or direction fields
- visualize in 3D via real-time rotation of 3D surfaces and contour graphs
- carry out 2D graphing, data analysis and statistical regressions
University teachers cannot afford to ignore the intrinsic power of such
tools, which can replace skills looked for in the past but not the
understanding that those skills brought. This workshop will investigate
benefits and drawbacks to their use by students in and out of the
classroom, the effect they will have on assessment, the availability of
resource material to support their use as teaching tools, and the way they
can be integrated into courses, either freestanding or connected to
networks using software such as ClassTalk.
In fact, we need a new nomenclature for them – any suggestions?
Programme
10.30 Tea/coffee and registration
11.00 Jim Boyle, Strathclyde: Using Classroom Communication Systems with
large
classes: an interactive lecture
Case Study: Teaching First Year Mechanics using Peer Instruction
11.40 Case study: Modelling with differential equations using handheld
technology at Napier University - Diana Mackie
12.10 Hands-on workshop: using the ClassTalk network
12.40 Lunch
13.40 Getting a grip on the TI-89: hands-on workshop
14.40 The student experience at Sheffield Hallam University - Neil
Challis and
Harry Gretton
15.10 Discussion: the implications of the TI-89 and other handheld
technology
- using it in the classroom
- students using it outside the classroom
- its impact on assessment
- its impact on the curriculum
16.00 Tea/coffee and end of workshop
The day will take place in Strathclyde’s InterActive ClassRoom in the
Faculty of Engineering’s James Weir Building, about five minutes walk from
Queen Street Station and 15 minutes from Glasgow Central Station. There
is a nominal charge of £30 including a buffet lunch. Places are limited
and priority will be given to those who book first.
Bookings can be made by telephone, email or online form but should be
confirmed by post with payment in advance - cheques payable to the
University of Birmingham.
Details and booking form on the Web at
http://www.bham.ac.uk/ctimath/workshops/w-hand.htm
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CTI Mathematics [log in to unmask]
School of Mathematics and Statistics
The University of Birmingham tel 0121-414 7095
Birmingham B15 2TT fax 0121-414 3389
One of 24 CTI subject centres working to encourage the use of
computers for teaching and learning in Higher Education. Our
Web pages can be found at http://www.bham.ac.uk/ctimath/
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