I have first of all learne a lot from using my calculator with games. It is what inspired me to learn to program in basic assembly. I am also experimenting with hardware and am teaching myself electronic couses sience there are few at my high school.

And my grades have improved sience I started using it. I have written my own math programs to use at school for quizzes and stuff. I also distribute them freely so I can help many other students.

Garrett Kaste.

I totally agree with you.

By the way, calculators do NOT serve as an added distration, they replace other distractions, such as talking in class and other disruptive activities.

Calculator gaming is the best way to waste time in class without disturbing others.

By the way, earlier this year, my school made it compulsory for year 11 Maths B and C students to get a graphics calculator. They officially sugested a Casio with a 1 square inch screen. At the start of the year, the teachers all suggested us to get TI83+'s.

I agree with that I learned Ti-basic because i wanted to program things because i saw what these calcs could do. I want to learn asm but cant really find a place that explains it for Ti-83+. A friend of mine knows it but he lks on a level that is so far above my head that its not even funny. I need a good simple persons guide to Asm. Im not stupid its just they assume you know the basics (all the ones i've found) I dont know them so am confused I would appreciate if someone could reccomend a good site.

Ok i was off topic but I also program things for my math and science classes. I will give them to any one who asks but disagree with gaming on calcs as it distracts in class. My math teacher's exact words were "if i catch any one playing games I will erase their RAM" She did it a couple of times too. Teachers should take a more aggresive approach.

Hey! I read your post and I was interested in getting some of those programs you created for math/science. I would appreciate it if you could send them to me. My AIM handle = ZaRisThX and my Yahoo handle = KhAiMeLioN69 Also, my email address is khaimelion@inorbit.com Thanks very much..hope to hear from you!

See link.

I agree that you should be able to play games on a TI-83 plus, but have a certain set limit of time to do it in. This would cause less distraction, while letting students have some fun.

You know, things being what they are, and people not able to change other people's minds, let it be. You can not, even through all this discussion, change what other people are going to do, so go your own way, and do what you will, but do we have to get mad at other people for their different opinions? <rhetorical question>

rather pesimistic?

I have a TI 84+SE and one day I was walking through the hallway while playing Pong (That takes SKILL!) and someone said "Heh heh he playin' hi' Ne'ti'do!" and I was kinda... umm... well... I live near Detroit and the intelligence level there is about none. Oh well. Anyway, the only smart people there are those who watch anime. I have no idea how that association works, but it does.

I know how you feel. My classmates are mostly barely smarter than a hamster and only my friends have very much intelligence. We almost all have 84+'s and are quite good at programming, but nobody really cares and some of them mock us for it.

Thats horrible. I'm incredibly smart, every school I have ever gone too, I have been respected for it. I have been programming in BASIC and now C and people are amazed by it (even though I am still only just starting in it), I really would hate to live in a place where people hate intelligence.

Although I understand your frustration I have to disagree thoroughly with your accusations that Texas Instruments is encouraging game playing during school. Let me introduce myself, I'm a high school student and I use my TI-83+ for math and science, along with game programming. However, I only program my games and play them during study hall(after finishing all my homework) and during breaks. The RAM of the 83 is tiny by modern standards but its far from overkill for any advanced math class. As for assembly programming, TI is providing a means for people to create applications for their calculators. These can obviously be used for good or evil. Like many of my peers, I am constantly using the Periodic Table application, along with others that are extremely useful in doing my schoolwork. If I were to propose that all schools put holes half of an inch in diameter all over each piece of paper in a school to prevent people from making paper airplanes or paper footballs I doubt you would agree with me. Of course, I'm wondering how you propose to weaken the TI but somehow make it more powerful. You say you want a calculator that's designed for math only, but you want it to have horrible graphics. Obviously, this is hypocritical because the reason why its called a graphing calculator is because it graphs equations. If TI wanted to sell a pathetic product, they would've been replaced by their competitors years ago, instead they were sucessful so learn to discipline your students or get a new job.

Hey texas instruments didnt encourage games
real idiots that want something to do when class is @#$!ing boring decided to use the calc programing language to make games
okay you can only blame your self
you have the choice to play the calc
its not like you are forced to
also it is not my @#$!ing problem that you get caught

calm down..

:-) Maybe this is off topic, but this topic did catch my eye, and I would like to add my comment to it. If it weren't for a graphing calculator (that only had 32 kb of memory on it), I would not be a Computer Science Major. In my senior year of high school during the first few weeks, I saw a problem in my Advanced Math book and decided to solve it. The problem was never even brought up or mentioned by my teacher. There was nothing it in for me if I solved the problem. For some reason, I just took interest in it. The problem wanted me to write a program that could solve an equation. I wrote the program and was introduced into the world of programming by having to read on how to program my calculator and by creating the program. I wrote dozens of programs after that just for fun. Some of them had study related purposes; but some of them included screen savers, puzzles, games, and even special utilities for special purposes not related to school. I do dislike people's wasting their time playing games in class as that is not right. However, these powerful calculators have their purposes. Please do not look down upon that power. It is not a calculator's fault that it is being used in the wrong way at the wrong time. It is the fault of those people who are using their calculators in this situation. This party is the only party that is responsible for this, and this party must accept the full responsibility of its actions. It is not the parents' fault. It is not TI's fault. It is not the schools' fault. However, the three parties just mentioned may take actions that correct the problem. In closing, people who do wrong are the people who are wrong and should be held accountable for their actions.

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I think that teachers should erase the RAM of anyone's calculator that they are gaming on. But hey, put your games in the archive!

I agree with this, but also, if u have Mirage v1.12 or higher, archive everything, then just block the memory from access in the menu ;-) But dont play if u dont want 2 get caught, or if u dont want your grades 2 suffer. Your choice if u do.

I dont know i played wolf83 and prroggramed stick figure porn (dont ask i was bored) on my calc all of 1st semester and made b's and c's in algebra because i didnt pay attettion to my teacher and really regret it now that my semester grade is a c at the least. I wish i would have payed attettion to my teacher.

This entire school year ALL that I have done in Algebra is play calc games!
And I have a 99.7% in that class...(I missed two stupid questions on one test...ugh...)
When I'm not playing games I'm doing Su Doku puzzles...my teacher (she's awesome) doesn't care what i do as long as I do well...
I wish all teachers were like that...
Calc games are no worse, or better, than reading, making origami, just outright not listening, etc...in class...
I mean at least we're not TALKING!
Adios mis amigos!
Casey!

it seems people are making a very big deal about this subject. I just want to say one thing, that i think, sums up everything said here....
You go to school to learn. If you don't want to learn, it's your choice, just don't get in the way of people who actually want to learn.
You won't realise how important knowledge is until you really need it, believe me.

Hahaha. (that's the laugh)

It seems to me that playing calculator games is perhaps the best way to not pay attention while not disrupting others.

Take away the calculators and the people who do not wish to learn will find a more disruptive way to "get in the way".