<p>Hi! My teacher reformatted my graphing calculator today, causing me to lose all of my programs :( I had made so many programs and notes that I had planned to use for the SAT and Math IIC that had nothing to do with that we are studying in class. I know the programs are not necessary for the exams, but they help me. </p>
<p>Has anybody else encountered this problem? Isn't it violation of private property? Either way, it makes me upset because it wasted my time and/or makes it harder for me to do well on these exams.</p>
<p>Is your suggestion to redownload on a weekly or more frequent basis since we have assessments that often? This is not an inconvenience by any measure? We should just be happy about it?</p>
<p>Why did he reformat? You can be unhappy but the truth is it is done. Nothing to keep going on about. Just rue download and move on. I don’t know why he initiated the reformatting unless you elaborate.</p>
<p>The teacher formatted because he has suddenly developed this policy as far as I am aware. That he will clear out whatever is on the calculator before any exam, no matter what is the program. </p>
<p>I had made my programs by hand. Is your solution simply to reprogram after every exam? I did not quite find programs on the internet for everything I wanted as nuanced as I had wanted. </p>
<p>Of course I have to deal with the fact that the programs were deleted. I’m talking about the future, dealing with this now every class.</p>
<p>Store the programs on your computer. You will have to rewrite them now, but then you can just push them to your calculator any time you need them.</p>
<p>NeutralityACTo36 how exactly can I store the programs onto the computer? I’ve downloaded the TiConnect (?) app, but I’m not sure how to use it.</p>
<p>Also, this policy of the teacher’s was never in any syllabus or announced at the beginning of the year. She just suddenly did it, and because she found stuff in my calculator once, she singles me out all of the time. Is that typical? And is it right? This is ok?</p>
<p>The teacher could have considered it a form of cheating, in her class, to use programs you had written using notes beforehand on a closed-book, closed-note test. At my school, we cleared our RAM (and deleted programs) before every test, and my teacher walked around and checked every calculator before we were allowed to begin.</p>
<p>Purpleacorn: I was not planning on cheating. These were programs I had written solely for the SAT that were not relevant for the exam. And I was wrote earlier, this policy was not stated anywhere on a syllabus, announced in advance, or listed in a student handbook. </p>
<p>Should the teacher also give me a pat down to make sure my pockets are empty? </p>
<p>What’s the point of using the calculator on a closed-book, closed-note test? In AP Calc, the exam has a part that is calculator-based and a part that is non-calculator based. I see it that we should either use our calculator to our fullest if it’s a graphing calculator based exam or just don’t touch my property if it’s not really relevant for the exam. </p>
<p>For example, if this is a test on knowing trig identities or that integral of 1 / 1 + x^2 is arctan, then we wouldn’t benefit much from a calculator at all. So why just not use it whatsoever for those types of assessments.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, what’s done is done. You can complain, but I would think the teacher has a semi-valid point, esepcially in my own experience. I’m sorry I don’t agree with you, but the teacher had no way of knowing that the programs were not useful. At my school, the rule was that you could program once the exam had begun, but by clearing RAM on our calculators, everybody started with the same resources and the same amount of time.</p>
<p>Using unauthorized assisstance or resources on a exam, at least in my school, is considered cheating and academic dishonestly, and the teacher is well within her rights to consider programs written with the use of outside notes in outside time academic dishonesty. A graphing callculator makes many fundamental, trivial calculations easier, making it possible to test mastery of concepts by allowing students to make fundamental calculations trivial.</p>
<p>Do I think there might have been a better way to approach this-- perhaps not allowing you to use the calculator or providing a class calculator if one was available? Perhaps. But if I walked into a classroom with programs on my calculator-- whatever they might have been-- would I have been cheating, in the context of my school? Absolutely.</p>
<p>You seem to feel an injustice was done. Simply put its the teacher’s classroom and choice. They can change policies if they have suspicions and often do. Clearly you can tell by this post that others have been in the same situation. You can try and ‘fight’ this policy but the truth is the teacher has the right to do this. Cheating is a huge problem. Another solution would be to purchase another calculator to use on the act/sat. You may not like that option but it is for your convenience. If I were a teacher I would be doing the same thing. Cheating is a huge problem. You will do much better not challenging the teacher on this I believe. She may wonder why you are so insistent on keeping your programs. It’s the same policy for everyone so deal with it and move on.</p>
<p>Momom77: When you say “its the teacher’s classroom and choice” is there no limit to that? Likewise, “they can change policies if they have suspicions” there is no limit to that either? The teacher can do whatever he or she damn pleases in life–no approval of anybody–and the school district has to smile and be happy about it? </p>
<p>You also said that “I will do much better not challenging the teacher on this” and that “she may wonder why * am so insistent on keeping [my] programs.” I told the teacher that I want my programs for the SAT, AP, and AMC exams. I don’t think that is anything to be ashamed of. I want to get top scores, and the calculator programs that I’ve created on my own have always helped me. I am not ashamed of that either. </p>
<p>I know I sound subversive, but I wonder why the teacher is more concerned about deleting my programs than these other advantages of not deleting them, when I’ve shown her no evidence that I’ve ever cheated. </p>
<p>Now she checks my calculator everyday. Clearly she wants no programs on them ever. But again, I gather from your response that you feel teachers can do whatever they feel is appropriate and it is our job to plainly accept it. </p>
<p>Purpleacorn: I think you may have missed my point about teachers giving assessments that do not require the graphing calculator. For example, if the teacher wanted us to know that the integral of 1 / (1+x^2) is arctan(x), then the graphing calculator does not make that much easier, unless you have a calculator that does integrals for you in which case you are no longer being tested on the math but sheerly on your use of the calculator. And all this time, I have a program on my calculator that pertains to areas of a triangle or quadratic equation or how to analyze a geometric sequence–none of which is relevant for the assessment–having those programs there is not cheating if they are not being used. Would it be cheating if I sit in the same classroom as someone else? No, it is only cheating if I look at the person’s exam sitting next to me and use that to my advantage. </p>
<p>If the AP Calculus exam is half calculator and half-non calculator and the half-calculator part you get programs, why should AP Calculus class be taught any differently? The goal of the class is not to have us practice for the AP exam? </p>
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<p>I have never said that I am the first person to have this problem. I don’t think anybody should ever have their calculator reformatted if they are not cheating.</p>
<p>I actually agree wholeheartedly with medianstudent. I suspect that some school districts are simply unaware of the benefits of the graphing calculator on these standardized exams and math competitions, and they and leave too much discretion up to the teacher or the math department because most folks are not techies unless it concerns their iphones. </p>
<p>I would encourage you to continue speaking up for this cause. Good for you! I’m sorry to hear that people are so discouraging here of challenging school policies.</p>
<p>Just a small tidbit, AMC exams no longer allow calculators.</p>
<p>Honestly, I don’t think clearing calculator programs is the best solution. I know people who write their own programs and games for the 84, a forced removal seems unfair IMO. Also, many newer calculators can do what the 84 can’t, e.g. evaluate indefinite integrals. If calculator use isn’t a crucial factor on school tests (as it isn’t on the SAT), simply banning calculator use would be a better idea.</p>
<p>Also, if the test was on integrals such as 1/(1+x^2) dx, having a graphing calculator (even non-CAS) gives you a huge advantage. Just store all the info in a text file on the calculator.</p>
<p>Latinlover97 Thank you for the support!! It’s about time :)</p>
<p>MITer94 Thank you also for the support! Glad to see this thread turn a new direction. I completely agree that it is not fair to people who write their own programs and games. It is just invasive–nobody would like it if their computer were tampered. </p>
<p>Thank you for the tidbit on the AMC. Then deleting the program is just a non-factor there. At least where I live, locally, all of the math competitions allow for calculator use. That was just one national competition that came to mind that I thought others could follow. </p>
<p>I think that I am on the same page as you are about just simply banning calculator use all together and rewriting assessments so that the numerical aspect is not too involved. Yes I concede that having a calculator to store the integral of dx / (1+x^2) as a text file would be helpful, but I was responding to an earlier post that said graphing calculators are good to reduce the computation burden on an exam–say if that was an integral to be evaluated from x = 0 to x = 1. I’m just saying craft exams where the computational aspect is a non-factor or if it is be reasonable and do not delete programs.</p>
<p>sluchy523 How exactly does TiConnect work? I have downloaded the app but am not sure how to proceed. On the computer, I can write programs as .txt files in notepad++ ? And then how exactly do I transmit them over? The result is that they are regular programs in the programs section of the calculator as if I had just inputted them directly?</p>
<p>I’m just saying that your protesting is not going to make you the teacher’s favorite student. Don’t be surprised if the more you push the issue the more she will push back. That is common sense. If the policy is the same for everyone that then includes you. The teacher is in charge of academics in her classroom. Yes, there are limits of what she can ask you to do but frankly I think EVERY school board would back her. She could give a test without calculators if she so desired as long as the problems could be done via formula and hand calculations. Just buy a second calculator. Not fair? Welcome to reality of life. I would say she has suspicions of cheating or else she wouldn’t check daily. Do your classmates support you? You are very strong willed as evidenced in this post. Who do you think is in charge in school?</p>