Earlier this afternoon we went through all the school supplies we had purchased already and went through the kid’s lists of supplies and compiled a “shopping list” of things we still have to get. Like fools we headed to Walmart. Walmart…on a Sunday afternoon right before the start of school. NOT a bright move on our part.
Walmart was a MAD HOUSE! Not only that all the school supplies were all over the place – literally! Some supplies were found in the middle of the store and others in the seasonal section.
Our list consisted of six 1.5″ 3 ring binders. For my son the teachers INSISTED on one in each color…red, black, green and blue. ???!!! All we found were 2″ white ones. Whatever happened to writing the subject in marker on the spin of the binder? Do you know how IMPOSSIBLE it is to find 1.5″ binders in those colors?
Walmart didn’t have lunchboxes, or marble composition books either. All we had in our shopping cart was markers, printer paper and some scrunchies I picked up for my hair. After about an hour searching all over for the supplies we needed we just left. Literally just left the cart where it was and got back in the car.
GRRR!!!
Next we headed over to Target. DUMB MISTAKE! Again, it’s a Sunday afternoon right before the start of school. It wasn’t as crazy as Walmart was, but it was packed none the less. Target also did not have anything on our list. INSANE!
So here I am online at Staples with a shopping cart filled with things like red, black, blue and green 1.5″ binders.
Seriously… I think these “rules” for school supplies are ridiculous! I can understand if having specific colored supplies for each subject might be good for younger kids, but mine are in middle school. I’d like to think in middle school kids can read “Science” written on the side of a binder and know it’s for the Science class.
What are the teachers going to do? Give a child a bad grade if he/she doesn’t have four different colored binders? Or what about 2″ binders? What if we bought our son 2″ binders? Is he suddenly going to be a “bad student” because we can’t find all these darn colored 1.5″ binders? It’s ridiculous!!! Seriously ridiculous!!!
So… enough of my rant. I’m step down off my soap box now.
The only highlight to our back to school supplies is our Texas Instruments
TI-Nspire™ calculator. OH MY! This is like the kind of calculators! I swear, I wouldn’t be surprised if the calculator starts talking to me and I can prepare dinner ala “The Jetsons” with a push of a button. Talk about high-tech. WOW!
The Texas Instruments TI-Nspire™ calculator does it all. I mean ALL! I’m STILL learning about it. You know the calculator has a lot to offer when you can purchase a “Dummy” book for it.
We received the TI-Nspire™ to review and I’m very happy we did. It just so happens that another Texas Instruments Scientific Calculator is on the back to school supply list. Forget that one. The TI-Nspire™ is the only calculator my kids will need from middle school through college. If you are going to invest in a quality calculator that will carry your child through the years this is certainly THE calculator to have. It’s ideal for Pre-Algebra, Algebra 1 & 2, Geometry, Trigonometry, Pre-Calculus, Calculus, Statistics, College Math, Business, Finance and Biology. WOW!
To be honest the TI-Nspire™ is a bit (OK, A LOT) intimidating at first. There are so many buttons! There are even two different “face” pieces you can use depending on what you need it for. One of the face plates has a circular control piece on it, similar to an iPod. My kids loved that.
The TI-Nspire™ has a more then generous size screen. I really didn’t see why such a large screen was needed but once you start dabbling in the charts and graphs you’ll see why.
The TI-Nspire™ helps students with a regular calculator mode that supports algebraic representations. It also helps with graphs, lists, geometry, spreadsheets and notes. There is nothing this calculator can’t help with. I don’t even think referring to it as a calculator seems appropriate. It’s the calculator of the future.
As with any product the TI-Nspire™ did come with the necessary product information and instructions. I can tell you from experience it was easier said then done to follow along. Even my computer tech husband was left scratching his head a few times. THANKFULLY we were also send the TI-Nspire™ for Dummies book. If you are considering getting the TI-Nspire™ do yourself a favor and pick up the TI-Nspire™ for Dummies book as well. The book was a HUGE help. I recommend reading the book first and then go back to the beginning and follow along with the TI-Nspire™. It made it a lot easier to understand when we did it that way.
My husband and I are horrible when it comes to math. Geometry, Algebra… we’re clueless. So when we were playing around with the various functions of the TI-Nspire™ we weren’t sure if we were doing things right. Thankfully my daughter who is going into 7th grade and who is good at math took the reins a few times and began doing all these wild and crazy things with the TI-Nspire™. To HER it made sense. To us we were clueless.
I think we will be learning how to work the TI-Nspire™ for many months to come.
I’m seriously blown away by the power of the TI-Nspire™ and all it can do. The graphics and mathematical computations it does right on the screen is amazing. The display is crystal clear so you can easily read all the numbers.
Overall I’m giving the TI-Nspire™ two thumbs up. There are many “Pros” about the unit. The only “Cons” for me is the price ($149.99), which might not see “doable” for many people. Although this would be the only calculator your student will need all through school and college, so it’s a great investment. It’s even permitted to use on the SAT, ACT, and other college entrance exams.
Another “Con” is that it’s difficult to understand and get used to. Thankfully the book was a huge help. It’s even harder when you are not good at math to begin with and you are not sure what you are doing.
To learn more about the TI-Nspire™ you can visit this link,
http://education.ti.com/educationportal/sites/US/productDetail/us_nspire.html?bid=5.
The TI-Nspire™ is sold in many retail locations. I saw it at Walmart this afternoon ($149.99). I also found it on Amazon for $140.92.
I strongly suggest purchasing the “Dummy” book. I found that a lot easier to understand then the included instructions. You can learn more about the Dummy book here,
http://education.ti.com/educationportal/sites/US/nonProductSingle/supplemental_inter_Wiley.html
* I received this product free to review. There was no other compensation. The opinions expressed are my own.
Interesting post, you must have put quite some effort into writing it. I am afraid I'll have to disagree with the second half, about the TI-Nspire calculator. Many people do not ever use math, and probably never understood it either, so they understandably fail to distinguish between the good tools and the bad. The Nspire may be an interesting gadget, it may be allowed on all school and college exams and it may be capable of working out any mathematical problem under the Sun, but I strongly feel that it's completely inappropriate – and frankly, quite pointless – for school-aged children. I do own it myself, and managed to figure out most of the features (including calculus, finding derivatives, writing programs etc.). Yet I don't see how it benefits students – it's like giving a computer or a type-writer to a first-grader learning to write his letters, or giving a calculator to a kid who's learning her multiplication tables – it completely defeats the purpose of learning.
I would strongly suggest that any parents considering an Nspire for their school kid (even high-school students) carefully evaluate the choice they're making. Even if you can afford the price and even if it's allowed, you really do the kids a disfavor by buying one of these. The only people who should buy these are those whose school forces them to – if there is any alternative, it would be better to go with a normal calculator.
In the end, by buying this kind of calculator, you are paying 150$ to TI to "save" your kid(s) from learning maths. If you think that will benefit them ("it's useless, they won't need it in life" etc.) then by all means, buy this. Otherwise, please reconsider!