Here's a great story that fits into this discussion: Last year in my Geometry class, before I got my Graph-Link, I walked up to the teacher and asked a question. He said bring your calculator over here and I'll show you what to do. When I bring over my 85, he looks at it ands says "Hey, I've got a bunch of these. Do you have Tetris on that, because I do." That just blew me away and is so much different than the stories I'm reading about here (and I'm in a public school in New Jersey).

I wish for those kinda teachers!

I usually know which teachers mind calculators and which ones don't. On the other hand, this article has a good point. I think teachers should just realize if they see people playing on the calculator when they're not supposed to, it's a the student's expense.

This is obviously a topic which has touched off a lot of nerves! My view is that people should have SELF-control, not TEACHER-control. I play games during boring classes, but I know when to stop. If you want to play, who's going to stop you? If the teacher takes your TI, another diversion will present itself. Bad grades and inattention weren't introduced by TI calcs, you know. Know when its okay to play, know where the line is.( I'm an honor math student, w/ an A average. Not to brag, but to defuse some potental comments about games ruining grades)
Besides, games are a great way to learn how to program. My main motivation for learning C and TI-Basic was games, and my main motivation for learning 68k ASM is games. Games will not go away.
Teachers should realize that, and students shouldn't abuse them.

I agree completely. If it wasn't for calc games, I wouldn't have learned BASIC, or I wouldn't be trying to learn C++ and teach other people ti-BASIC.

Quote> There are many students who get perfectly decent grades and deserve to goof off in class a little. But there are many students who are struggling and games only serve as an added distraction. In my school, the ones who own calculators are the ones who have good grades, and the ones who don't have calculators goof off. Basically, all the kids who hav calcs with or w/out games have good grades, and the ones who would use them as games are too dumb to know what a TI-83 or higher calculator is or how to use one! Anyway, that is my opinion, and I haven't seen a problem, except after doing homework, to relax your brain after the tough math assignment, but other than that, no problem.

The prediction of this article that was written years ago has come true with the introduction of the nspire product line. What wasn't forseen however, and probably not by TI,is that nspire products are so narrowly focused on the high school math teacher that as a consequence sales for nspire products are low and TI might cancel the product. On the other hand TI knows what they have to do to appeal to a broader market. The question however is will they do it? Teachers got what they wanted but they may lose what they got because they are a small part of the calculator market. It would be a wise teacher that recommends to TI that they add 3d graphing on a color screen, built in battery charger, and programing input and output statements with a press to disable games button.

I use mine right in front of the teachers face until she says put it away or I'll throw it out the window, teacher has thrown stuff out the window before after threatening to do it. Then 20 minutes later go back on. Other teachers just clear only the RAM, (not knowing I keep almost everything archived and not check the program menu after having cleared it to see all my programs), and when I'm back on 10 minutes later clear it again! I have Omnicalc installed on my 84 and that memory protection gives me a laugh! Math teacher yells at me "why cant I clear your RAM, your going to pay $100 to get this replaced!..." me,"can I take a look, you should be able to clear it..." then I turn off omnicalc, after having felt proud of clearing just my RAM he retreats to his desk and stars into his PC... Coast is clear, Mario away! Of course I dont always play games tho and then, sometimes, in the middle of programming, I get caught and with no time to archive or activate Omnicalc all my progress is lost, But hey thats the world of Graphing calculators in school!

Who plays games, when programming is so much funner and better. Kids in my class who play games get their ram cleared, but all their games are archived so it doesn't matter. It is true that having more powerful calculators leads to more games, but it also leads to better math programs too. Some of my programs to solve math equations take up all the speed they can get.

nice to read

Graphing calcs have the power of old computers- so use them as such! Plus it would be wasteful to use that z80 and 96*64 LCD to only run only math oriented operating system (with no support for other programs).

Hey... calculator games are cool!

My geometry teacher thinks the games are cool and he plays them also! He likes to see the progress we've made on programming.

But what I think is funny, is not one of my teachers know how to reset a calculator. And what's even more funny, is Kirk Meyer has made this reset recovery program that recovers all data from a reset :)

Today, I got done with my science test, and I pulled out my calculator. My teacher (kinda scatter brained) came over and said "Um, are you playing games? Is that a game boy?" First of all, DOES A GAME BOY HAVE NUMBERS, + - * AND DIVIDE BUTTONS ON IT??? HELLO! Well, my response was "It's a calculator!" and she said "But it has games on it, right" and I said "uh just little ones (hehe)".. then.. she said "Well I have been told that there are no game machines or electronics allowed in school. I've been instructed to take them up." But I got lucky and she didn't take it up :)

So.. KEEP THE CALCULATORS COMING!!!! I USE THEM FOR SCHOOL AND FOR GAMES!
It's much better than a gameboy because it has the games saved on it and you don't have to haul around those cartriges. And, the games are FREE!!! THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE TIME YOU HAVE SPENT ON MAKING THESE GAMES!! :)

At our school, after a shitty Casio, the most common calculator is the TI-83+.

All the games are stored in the flash memory and the teachers (who are used to the TI-83) always reset the RAM. The disturbance that follows is far greater than the games

Funny thing, one of my teachers took my 84 away and when she gave it back after class I looked in the entrys menu, She played every last game!

nice topic

You people who get your calculators reset really suck. If a teacher bothers me about playing games and tries to reset my calc I just say NO, put it in my bag, and thats the end of that. NO programs that I spent a year developing will be lost:)

I'm a high school student in Wichita Kansas. I use my calculator to play games during my class, just like most people i know who have one. The trick lies in being able to exit the game fast, having a "boss screen", and not being stupid and playing action games (like galaxian). For this reason, I always make my own games or edit those i download so that they meet these requirements. If the teacher speels of onto some rant about Chaucer or Dickens or some guy like that that I don't care about, i really don't have any reservations about pulling out a game to play. I go to school to learn, but all the classes I'm in, with the exception of math and chem, are based solely on memorizing useless trivia about old dead people. I really don't need any more useless trivia in my life.

I like to take my calc on a roadtrip--provided I'm not driving!

It's more versatile than a GB, although I'll sometimes take both.

I never play games in class anymore.

First, I'd like to say that I disagree with the article's concerns. I'll briefly describe the situation at my school, which is probably similar to many other schools:

When people in the school first start to get calculators, they probably won't know anything about assembly. This has happened in most every high school, since many math classes have an emphasis on calculator use, and the TI calculators are usually the recommended ones. If very many people have them, there will surely be a few that are interested enough to write BASIC programs. They probably will make simple games as well as math programs, and spread them around to a few people. Since there is likely nobody (except perhaps a teacher) around with a Graph-Link, these programs may be wiped out completely if teachers reset many people's calculators. The simple BASIC games will probably go to a fair number of people, but since they are rarely very good (I know that the ones at my school weren't) they probably won't spread too far and the people that have them will likely only play occassionally. Some teachers may dislike this and try to stop it by confiscating or resetting the calculators. However, it probably won't make a big difference since the games aren't played very often.

The "massive revolution" is likely to occur when someone gets a Graph-Link and discoveries the assemblyt capabilities of the calculator. When this first happened at my school (March 1997), ZShell did not spread around immediately. Though I don't know what initially happened, the rumor is that the person who first got ZShell tried to make people $10 for a copy of it. People didn't know they had to send a backup, so they couldn't figure out how to transfer it on their own. However, when the word got out, ZShell started to spread very rapidly. After a few weeks had passed (in fact, it was around April 1!) more than half of the calculators had a copy of ZShell. The most popular game was ZTetris (which everyone had) followed by Super Breakout. Spacewars, and one other game (I don't remember which) were also widespread. People played them a whole lot, and many teachers were upset. One math teacher was especially upset and reset lots of calculators.

The next school year, this very same teacher established a new rule for his math class at the beginning of the year (and enlisted the cooperation of some other teachers) to stop game playing for good. In his classes (including AP Calculus) the rule was this: the first time you're caught playing games in class, your calculator will be erased and you have a warning. The second time you are caught you are no longer allowed to use your calculator in class at all, even on tests. However, this rule didn't work! I personally played games almost every time I came to class (about 130 times in the year) but was not caught even once. A couple of less discreet AP Calculus students were caught once, but that's it.

The point I'm trying to make is: once assembly games are released at the school (and people learn how to transfer and use them), they will be there to stay. It will be very hard for efforts of teachers or students to stop game playing. The only way is to ban certain calculators completely, which is unlikely to happen. Instead, teachers who don't like calculator games will just tell students not to play them; some will comply and some won't, and of those who disobey, some will be punished and some won't. It's just a matter of not yelling out loud when you win or lose, not holding the calculator up and pressing the keys really hard, and knowing how to exit when the teacher approaches.

Secondly, stopping the calculator games wouldn't really avert a ban anyway. Once assembly games get loose in the school, most all calculator users will get them and start playing them soon. If the teachers are going to do something about it, they'll probably do it soon. If people have already had the games for a while, stopping game use will be "too late" to do any good anyway.

Third, I don't think playing calculator games is very bad anyway! When I was a junior in high school, I actually added up totals of how time was used in classes. If I decide to be generous and count taking tests as eductional (because it does give you a measure of your learning, or something like that), I come up with a total of 38% of the time spent in educational activites. If you just play games in the other 62% of the time, you won't miss anything. Now that I'm a senior and have lots of AP and Dual Credit classes, the educational time percentage is probably higher, but I also play games less now. There are people who play lots of calculator games and have good grades, and people who don't play games can still have low grades. Calculator game use doesn't really control grades. If it influences a particular individual's grades negatively, that is the responsibility of that one person and not everyone.

Very well put. As a former AP Calculus student, I have seen the same story happen at my school. I was lucky enough to have a graph link though and teachers didn't even bother erasing games because they knew that I would give everyone the games back the next day anyway. I don't see a problem with calculator games. With back to back AP calc. and AP Physics, it was nice to have something to relax my brain during each. I never had a problem keeping up in class like some of the other kids did. Now that I'm in college and have a 92, teachers could care less whether we are paying attention or not during their classes. They are getting paid, and we're paying them, so why should they care? To all those game programmers from a beginning game programmer: keep em coming!

I would have to agree. Personally, the amount of time I spend playing on my 85 has to do with how interesting the class is. In AP Calc, we were doing something almost all the time, and the teacher was interesting, so I paid attention. When I understood something already, I would play part of a game of tetris, and pause it when something important came up. In precalc, I didn't like the teacher, knew most of what we were doing anyway, and didn't have to pay attention, so I spent most of class playing tetris. I still went on to AP calc, and got an A in the class. Now I'm a Junior in HS, and am taking college math at the local university.

If people play intelligently and don't miss important parts of class, then calculator gaming really isn't a problem. It's when people tune out completely that there is a problem, and these people usually get bad grades, which should tell them something. The attitudes people have towards school, class, and studying are far more important than the calculators or the games.

I agree. If you spen 100 % of class playing tetris and can manage to get an A. Who gives a crap ? Ever since people started giving out games at my school, the intrest in programming has drammatically in creased. Ive never seen a caculator taken away, but I have seen kids get their docs on assembly programming takin away cause they werent paying attention.

In my school it is very necessary for the students to have the ti-83 plus calc. We began using it almost the first day in math class. Also gaming has spread very quickly. Most teachers don't care about them as long as they don't disrupt class. Some are impressed at the level of knowledge that some students have developed regarding the ti-83. In my chem lab period sometimes labs have a long period of time between we are to take measurements. A common use for that time is the ti-83 games. Many people play them, and even compare high scores. Our teacher justs laughs when he sees half the class arguing over who is the better bowling or pong player. It is also a great tool for tests.

"It is also a great tool for tests. "

We'll what else are you going to do if you finish a test early?

YOU ROCK! Why didn't you write a reply article instead, fits in size =P

That's not the only one.

Bravo! You have described the situation that occurred at my school about three years ago almost exactly, apart from reseting calculators and selling backups. To this day, the games I put on people's calcs are still floating around the high school even though I'm in college now.
You included the TI-BASIC to assembly metamorphosis too! Once assembly games invade a school, there is no possible way to destroy the fad, so long as there is one person that still has them. Games on calcs got so bad at one time that I was once even playing TI-82 Duck Hunt on the overhead projector in AP Calc just to annoy the teacher! Teachers do just start to accept the games after awhile and (who knows?) maybe even will try to keep the students' attention more. Either way, students' grades are there own responsibility and games do not neccesarily take away from student performance.

Same situation in my school. Here the math teacher encouraged everyone to buy a TI-83, most people bought one, except me. This meant there were a good two months without games before I bought one too. I immediately built my own link cable and began to distrubute games, the standard cost was $0.50 for me to take the time to do the transfer. Within 2-weeks everyone in the school had Tetris and Slopes. I would have to say about 25% of class time is Tetris time (by the way the Top Score in GRSS is 4200 something). Now the teachers give me the evil-eye whenever someone plays a game. I don't think this has affected many people's grades on the simple fact that if they weren't playing tetris, they'd be sleeping.

PREACH ON BROTHER!!!!!!!!!!!

What I like about my school (American International School, Vienna) is that the teachers do not take our calculators away, nor delete them. They just give us detention or something like that. Since our school sells TI-83's, most people have them, because they are right at school, are cheaper, and they get an English manual. This makes it hard for me, because I have a TI-92 Plus, and there are like only three other people who have one, and maybe two that have a TI-89 very hard to get assembly programs, and because very few people have Graph Link (I have two, so I loan them out to people). Besides this TI-89 freak, nobody knows anything about assembly. I am starting to change this, by telling people, and by encouraging them to get Graph Link. But there isn't a big problem with game playing at my school.

If you remember I told you about the policy at the American International School Vienna. Now I'm back in Vestal, NY. Here it is sad how behind the school is with graphing calculators. I brought my TI-92+ in everyone's like "what's that?" I think that's sad, because they are behind in technology although Vestal High School is "one of the top ten schools in New York State." At this school people are amased at a complex scientific calculator! I don't know how it is at other schools, but where's technology?

I'm the only one with a ti 92 plus and
nobody at my school knows anything about
them. I try to explain. I have a graph link.
Feel lucky people will listen. I've gone strictly
to assembly language. I'm learning a trde, programing. Which is more than I can say about
High School.

YES! I totally agree with you! Its the same way i feel! Calc games will NEVER DIE!!!

I agree with you too! Calculator games will never go away. I am always finding new and interesting games off my friends calulators. When the games are deleted, it is so easy to put them back on.

Whenever I take out my ti-86 in the middle of class to see if I can beat my high score in tetris, I always have a good reason. Sometimes it's because I already have learned what the teacher is telling us, other times it may be that I already have the work done. All in all- I don't just take out my ti-86 because I don't want to learn. However, others do.

There will always be kids who don't want to learn, there will always be kids who DO want to learn, and a good teacher should be expected for both. If a teacher sees a student playing games instead of listening, and it's effecting their success in the class (i.e. dropping grades), the teacher should talk to those students. And, if they care that much about their grade they'll put the calculator away. Or, they'll just continue to play tetris and have to live with their grade (because they brought it upon themselves).

You come to school for two reasons: to learn and to have fun. Some teachers forget the have fun part. Teachers may not be there to entertain us, but a smart teacher knows the more fun we have the more we learn and the less we're tempted to take out that calculator.

I Agree. I have a TI-83+ and a Ti-92+ I only play on them when i am finished or i know what they are teaching already! Last year, i was the only one with a ti-92. the first time i pulled ity out... boy you should have seen the faces! :-O Also, My old school, Galena Middle School, Even Let me Start an afterschool program where I taught people how to program!

So thats all i have to say... plus... KEEP THE GAMES COMING!!!!!!!!!!!! YEAH!!! PEACE!

I was the first student to have a TI at my school, and I knew from the start the assembly possibilities of it. When Yr 11 started and everyone else got TI's I was the main distributer. there was no "revolution"

I make and download every program I can get on my ti-84 plus, then bring my handy link cable to school and transfer away to as many people as I can find. Within a day i'll have fully loaded at least 20-30 calculators with a full inventory of games, apps and whatever else I have! I've seen 1/10 of my school come up to me and ask for programs already, my answer is always heck yah!
over here everyone has games! 99% of them where from me. Sometimes I've asked for a fee a couple times but I get more satisfaction when half the class has out there calculators dong math and the other half playing games I sent to them! Without My handy 84 I couldn't have survived school at all this year! Best moment was when I took off one 3.5.2.5 mm trans and plugged my TI into the teachers speakers and turned on realsound fitted with a 15 second portion of another one bites the dust after the teacher left the room! after it was done I played it again except with the volume cranked up higher, I quickly put it away and seconds later my teacher ran back in, class laughing away. My point is the good times Ive had with TI's make it possible for me to breathe at school.

Personally i don't play games in classes.
Here in France the teachers are not allowed to manipulate your calculators memory. It is considered as your private property and teachers are not allowed to reset students calc. That's a low...

Cool. I wish these U.S. teachers wouldn't be so much uptight.

What they tell us here in the good ol' U S of A in German class is that the kids across the big pond in Europe all want to learn, and that we're made up of lazy ingrates who care more about football than a decent education. German class is great.

Well there right us kids in MI dont kive a care about learning (most anyway) but i suppose that the kids in germany are the same way as here, a few winners a lot of losers. Theres true pessimism for ya.

it's actually a law in all countrys in the european union which states that you cannot edit or remove other peoples data without their written permission

Isn't there a law about computer use in the united states that says only the with the permission of the owner may files be manipulated in any way. i believe it falls into the categories of malicious destruction of property and criminal trespass but don't quote me on this.

There are laws like that. However, I'm not sure that most students want to go to court (or have the support of their parents) to settle the problem, which lets teachers do whatever they want.

but if you simply mention this in class before they mess with your mem they will crap themselves and ask their bosses about it the next chance

Yeah. A similar thing happened recently that I know of.

If you think TI calculators are good for gaming, just look at Hewlett Packard 48G/GX. They can have up to several megabytes of RAM, _sound and music_, fully documented assembly, which makes it a very good calculator for games. The G version is quite cheap too.

I once had a teacher who actually wrote several games in class, under the excuse "I'm trying to learn how to program"

The only problem with HP calc is that there is not that many games for them all ready. So you would after make most of them your self. Another thing is I don't know any one that even has a HP or even a casio calc. Everyone has ti's