I certainly feel that using the TI-Nspire calculators, as I did in my TechQuest project, certainly helped me think about the uses of this type of technology. I was an excellent tool in the fact that it is a calculator, but it is also so much more. The handheld Nspire allowed students to explore algebraic and geometric concepts without ever having to go to a computer lab where Geometer’s Sketchpad had been installed. Additionally, the TI-Nspire has so much more than just a calculator, or just a sketchpad program; it has a full-functioning operating system that allows students to save their work, return to it later, edit it and submit it to their teachers. I can see that use to the TI-Nspire can be extremely beneficial to student learning and offers a lot of the flexibility that many teachers are looking for. Over this course, I met my own goals of learning this new technology and implementing it into my own practices. Although, I have only had a limited experience of using it, I can see many future applications and plan to continue to use it in the future.
In the future, I will continue to use and integrate the TI-Nspire into my daily practices (when appropriate) and want to write a grant to get a Navigator system for the TI-Nspire so that students can wirelessly transfer files and activities within the classroom. It would alleviate the time spent on transferring files using one classroom computer and two USB cords. It would also allow students to turn in their saved work and then I, as the teacher, would be able to monitor their progress on the different applications we have done in class.