How I Use It
This is a great tool to have posted to your website/class page. This website provides students with all of the functions that a scientific calculator has, as well as an option to create graphs that could be done on a graphing calculator. Another nice feature is that there is a "forum" for students to ask and answer math questions. This can be a nice resource for students to look into, if they do not have immediate feedback available from the teacher or classmates. Additionally, there is a "formula" section for algebra, geometry, finance, and trigonometry. This allows students to have a "one-stop shop" for formulas that they will use in class or for homework. There is also a "help" section for students to go to if they are struggling to use the calculator for a specific math concept. Unfortunately, this help section is not as user-friendly as many students will need it to be.
A nice add-on that this website offers, is a widget that the teacher can embed to his/her website for the calculator to appear. Overall, this is an effective tool to aid and enhance student learning.
My Take
I believe that this is a beneficial tool to help students both in the classroom setting, as well as at home. I really like how there is a forum, formula, and help section available for students. These sections are by no means extraordinary when it comes to building understanding. However, they do offer extra support to students when the teacher/classmates are not available.
I like how this calculator can accomplish a huge variety of mathematical operations. The fact that it is free to use, allows students that do not have access to scientific/graphing calculators, to still complete all of the necessary calculations that occur in a middle/high school math class.
This could really serve teachers and students better during instruction that occurs outside of the classroom (flipped learning/blended learning/homework.)
