Education Technology

Tech Powered Math

The goal of Tech Powered Math is to help students, parents, and teachers make informed decisions about math technologies, and hopefully learn something interesting and new along the way. Lucas Allen started the site as he realized that a lot of his students and their parents felt confused when making buying decisions about graphing calculators, looking for online resources and other educational technologies.


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TI-Nspire for Beginners - Volume 1

How to Dominate Math with the TI-Nspire Graphing Calculator

A true book for beginners on the TI-Nspire™. It starts with how to update your operating system to OS 3.2 (since everything in the book from screen captures to button sequences is current with OS 3.2.) It assumes that many people who need a book like this have never picked up a TI-Nspire™. So, the author, Lucas Allen, has also included information on how to open applications and switch between them, close them, save documents, etc.

Information on each of the kinds of applications you can open on a TI-Nspire™ is also included. That means there’s at least an introduction to every kind of application including calculator, graphing, geometry, lists and spreadsheets, data and statistics, notes and Vernier DataQuest. However, most of the book is focused on the calculator and graphing windows because in his teaching experience, that is where students and teachers spend the majority of their time. He has also included detailed instructions on how to use the various menus and templates in the calculator and graphing window, which would help students in Algebra 1 or Calculus (on anywhere in between.) 

This book was written using the TI-Nspire™ CX with OS 3.2. It is always a good idea to make sure you are using the latest version of the OS offered by TI for the device you are using. Note that earlier, and later models of the TI-Nspire™, could have slightly different keypresses. It is always a good idea to make sure you are using the the latest version of the OS that is available on your device. The book has all of the information you'll need on how to update your calculator for free. 

For over 10 years, Allen has taught mathematics at the high school level with students of every imaginable achievement level. He has worked with the TI-Nspire™ for almost half of that time. He blogs about graphing calculators and other math education technologies at Tech Powered Math.

To purchase a Kindle ebook edition, Click Here


Using CAS Features Like a Champion - Volume 2

How to Dominate Math with the TI-Nspire Graphing Calculator

Following up his popular "Introduction to the TI-Nspire™," teacher and author Lucas Allen continues his TI-Nspire™ Tutorials series with a look at the TI-Nspire™ CAS. The CAS, or computer algebra system, version of the TI-Nspire is popular at the high school and college level alike for its ability to manipulate not just numbers, but variables. For all the amazing growth that the TI-Nspire platform has shown over the last few years, there still remains a lack of quality resources available for the CAS version of the TI-Nspire™. This book is designed to address the needs of students and teachers in search of help with the TI-Nspire™ CAS.

In this second volume of the series, careful attention is given to the CAS specific features of the TI-Nspire™ CAS. Basic features such as expanding, factoring, and solving simple equations are covered as well as more advanced techniques such as solving complex equations, derivatives, integrals, and differential equations. Any student or teacher working with mathematics from algebra through calculus can benefit from the techniques taught in this book.

This book was written using the TI-Nspire™ CX with OS 3.2.  It is always a good idea to make sure you are using the latest OS offered by TI for the device you are using. Note that earlier, and later models of the TI-Nspire™,  could have slightly different keypresses. It is always a good idea to make sure you are using the the latest version of the OS that is available on your device. The book has all of the information you'll need on how to update your calculator for free. Everything in the book is up to date with the latest version of the TI-Nspire™ CAS operating system, version 3.2. If you don't have the latest version of the OS on your TI-Nspire™ CAS, the book has all of the information you'll need on how to update your calculator for free.

Lucas Allen has become an authority on the use of the TI-Nspire™ CAS since its release, as he was an early adopter of the device for use with the math team he coaches in a public school in downstate Illinois. This past spring, his team captured the 2012 Illinois math team state championship, beating out many of Chicago's elite private schools. In this book, you will learn many of the exact same strategies his team uses on the TI-Nspire™ CAS.

For over 10 years, Allen has taught mathematics at the high school level with students of every imaginable achievement level. He has worked with the TI-Nspire™ for almost half of that time. He blogs about graphing calculators and other math education technologies at Tech Powered Math.

To purchase a Kindle ebook edition, Click Here