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Welcome to Casio’s Educator Newsletter (by John Neral, Valley Middle School)
It is with great pleasure that I present you with Casio’s new Educator newsletter. It is our goal to bring you exciting news and updates about using technology in the classroom, news about Casio’s educator support programs, and information about special classroom technology offers.
Since our April inception, Casio’s Teacher Advisory Council (CTAC) has been very busy reviewing products, examining curriculum and support materials, presenting at conferences, creating on-line activities, and preparing this quarterly newsletter. All of these efforts are being done to help develop and support affordable technology for your classroom. We hope that you will frequently visit the Casio website at www.casioeducation.com to learn about what we are doing and stay up-to-date with Casio activities. Furthermore, we hope that you will encourage your students to visit the site and participate in our Problem of the Month contests. Each month, we will select a student who correctly answers the problem from each of the three grade levels to receive a gift from Casio.
Additionally, when you visit the website, I would like to invite you to register as an educator. By registering, you will receive periodic updates from Casio, and have access to educator specific information such as: educator technology pricing, Casio’s rewards program for free classroom equipment, and more.
One of the programs you will receive information on is Casio’s extensive calculator loan program. If you would like to incorporate some calculator technology in your classroom or evaluate a specific Casio model, you can sample a number of products for up to a two-week period. Simply contact our education office at 800-582-2763 or visit the link on this website to learn more about this free program.
CTAC is composed of teachers from all areas of education. We are elementary, high school, and college educators with many years of experience in education. Our goal is to work with Casio and share this information with you, but we would also like to hear from you. Please use the links on this website to contact us with suggestions, questions, or comments to help make this website something that we, as an educational community, will use together to enhance our productivity in our classroom and increase student learning and understanding.
From all of us at CTAC and Casio, we want to wish you a successful and productive academic year. We hope you will continually come back to see all of the exciting things we are doing and to make this school year, the best one yet!
Regards,
John Neral
President, Casio Teacher Advisory Council
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Share Your Ideas and Expertise (by CC Edwards, Coastal Carolina University)
We would like to invite you to share your ideas and expertise for publication in a future installment of Connecting Teachers to Technology. Submit an article on a topic that has anything to do with using Casio educational products in the classroom. Tell our readers about anything you think they would find interesting, useful, or informative – like a neat classroom activity or an interesting application. Not only is this a chance to share your ideas with your peers, it is also a chance to gain recognition for yourself and your school. Submit an article today!
All submitted articles will be reviewed by a panel of editors. If the editors feel that your article has potential but is not yet in publishable form, they will work with you by suggesting possible revisions. Directions for submitting an article are located below.
Product Spotlight
Product Spotlight – fx-9750G Plus
Imagine teaching an Algebra class where every student had his or her own graphing calculator. Imagine having technology at your students’ fingertips that was not only sophisticated and powerful, but also easy to use. Imagine how your assessment and instructional strategies would change because your students’ had this type of technology. Last year I had this experience, as for the first time, all of my 8th grade Algebra students had their own graphing calculator and the majority of them used Casio’s fx-9750.
Naturally, I wanted a graphing calculator that would not only be a good investment for my students, but something that would last them throughout high school and college. I was immediately impressed with the fx-9750’s graphing capabilities and that it can store up to 20 functions in its graphing menu. With the fx-9750’s Dynamic Graphing feature, one could select a function, set its variables, and watch the function become a moving representation of its values. This feature has been particularly helpful for answering those “what happens when” questions.
The fx-9750’s Main Menu shows how versatile and balanced this calculator is. Between its statistical and matrix applications, along with its equation solver and the ability to graph conics, this machine seemed something that would not only meet, but also exceed, my students’ needs. However, it wasn’t until we actually started using the fx-9750 in class that this was proven true.
Working with students, we know they can be brutally honest. We know that if students love something, they will tell us and consequently, if they don’t, they will certainly voice their opinion. Once my students received all of their fx-9750s, I began a very simple training to get them acclimated to their calculator. In my opinion, the on-screen menu direction is an incredible feature. Students were easily guided through various operations on the fx-9750 by a series of on-screen, menu driven commands. The overwhelming comments from my students were positive and encouraging. Our unit on graphing was far better because they had the use of this technology. Additionally, whether we were working with matrices, solving equations, or exploring various functions and graphs, we continued to use the fx-9750 and enhanced our lessons. My students demonstrated proficiency in the material because our lessons focused on learning the material and maintained a balance between conceptual understanding and technology integration. My students found that the fx-9750 not only met their needs but they found it easy to use and navigate.
Throughout the year, we will continue to spotlight the many uses of the fx-9750 and invite you to come back and see how teachers are incorporating this technology into their lessons every day.
Calculator Comparisons
How do Casio Calculators Compare?
Graphing Calculator Comparisons
Non-Graphing Calculator Comparisons
Resources & Workshops
Workshops
Need professional development or help integrating Casio technology in your classroom? Call 800-582-2763 or e-mail casioworkshops@casio.com and we will work with you to customize a solution that fits your specific needs.
Resources
The following resources are available from Casio:
· Activities for the Classroom - Problem Solving with the CFX-9850GB Plus
· Activities for the Classroom - fx-7400G Plus
· Activities for the Classroom - fx-300
· Activities for fx-55 Fraction Calculator
· Activities for the Classroom - fx-65
· Activities for the Classroom - sl-450
· Breaking the Algebra Barrier with the fx-1.0 Plus and 2.0 Plus
· ClassPad 300 - Getting the Most Out of ClassPad 300
· Understanding Calculus with ClassPad
· Linear Equations with ClassPad
Watch this area – additional classroom resources are in development.
For a wide variety of classroom activities, resources, and downloadable programs you can also visit the following Casio worldwide education web sites:
USA - www.casioeducation.com
UK – www.casio.co.uk/edu_e/uk
Worldwide – www.casio.co.jp/edu_e
FREE Classroom Technology - Casio Rewards Program
Casio’s new rewards program allows you to accumulate points toward FREE products. Here’s how it works:
1. Register as a Casio Rewards Program member on the website
2. Purchase qualifying calculator products and accessories and save the associated UPC codes
3. Complete the rewards submission form and submit with appropriate documentation to receive your free products
Here’s an example of the FREE products you can receive:
Anytown School District purchased 1,000 fx-9750G Plus graphing calculators for their high schools and, after registering for the rewards program online, received 140,000 Casio Reward Points (1 fx-9750G Plus = 140 Casio Points). After sending in the submission form and UPC codes, they are now eligible to redeem these points for the following FREE products: 30 fx-9750G Plus calculators OR 10 ClassPad 300 graphing calculators OR 3 RM9000 sets that include the teacher model of the calculator and the panel for the overhead projector OR 4 digital cameras… The possibilities are endless!
Go here, for qualifying reward program products and redemption procedures.
FREE Overhead Calculator Program
In addition to the products obtained through the Casio Rewards Program, each purchase of 90 basic, fraction, scientific, or graphing calculators entitles you to receive a FREE overhead projectable model of the respective model. Qualifying products include: fx-7400G Plus, fx-9750G Plus, fx-9850GC, ClassPad 300, sl-450, fx-55, fx-65, fx-260, and fx-300MS Plus.
FREE Calculator Loan & Evaluation Program
Need a product loan for a conference presentation or workshop? Trying to decide which product to purchase and need a unit for evaluation? Our free workshop loan program is available for your use. The maximum loan duration is 30-days and subject to availability. The following products are included in the program: ClassPad 300, fx-9850G Plus, fx-9750G Plus, fx-7400G Plus, fx-300MS Plus, fx-115MS Plus, fx-260 solar, fx-65, fx-55, sl-450, and EA-200 data analyzer.
Call 800-582-2763 or go here, to schedule your loan today.
Visit Casio at These Conferences
June
USA CAS Atlanta, GA June 25-26
July
CAMT Dallas, TX July 11-13
AP National Houston, TX July 14-18
October
OCTM Dayton, OH Oct. 6-8
NCTM Hartford, CT Oct. 6-8
NWMC Portland, OR Oct. 13-15
NCTM Birmingham, AL Oct. 20-22
FCTM Palm Beach, FL Oct. 20-22
ASBO Boston, MA Oct. 21-24
NSBA T&L Denver, CO Oct. 26-28
PCTM Harrisburg, PA Oct. 26-28
AMTNJ Somerset, NJ Oct. 27-28
November
AMTNYS Buffalo, NY Nov. 3-5
CMC-South Palm Springs, CA Nov. 4-5
NCTM Denver, CO Nov. 10-12
AMATYC San Diego, CA Nov. 10-13
NJEA Atlantic City, NJ Nov. 11-12
December
CMC-North Asilomar, CA Dec. 2-4
Where to Purchase Casio Technology
Educational Product Dealers
Casio educational technology can be purchased from a number of educational product dealers. To see the complete list, click on the link above.
Casio Website (Educators Only)
Register as an educator to receive special educator pricing. To order, please call 1-800-582-2763.
Directions for Submitting an Article to the Newsletter
Any interesting and informative article that incorporates the use of a Casio educational product is welcome. Please abide by the following guidelines when preparing your manuscript.
1. If possible, prepare your manuscript in MSWord.
2. Since your article will be subject to a blind review, you will need to prepare two files:
· The first file is the cover page for your article. In this file put the title of your article, your name, your institution, and your city and state. Save the file as CP-TITLE where TITLE is the title of your article, or an abbreviation there of.
· The second file contains your article with its title but without any mention of who the author is. Save this file as TITLE where TITLE is the title of your article, or an abbreviation there of.
3. Use the Arial 12 pt. font.
4. Do not indent paragraphs; instead, skip a line between paragraphs.
5. Accurately list any references you use, if any.
6. Place all pictures, diagrams, tables, and screen shots at the end of the article after the references. In your article reference these as Figure 1, Table 2, and so on.
7. Submit your cover page and article by sending an email to newsletter@casio.com. In the subject area write “Newsletter Article” and attach your two files: CP-TITLE and TITLE.
Contact Us
Have comments about this newsletter, articles to submit for publication, or questions for our Casio education staff? Please give us a call at 800-582-2763 or e-mail us at newsletter@casio.com
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Check-out the Online Math Contests (by Judy Johnson, I.C. Norcom High School)
Teachers and students, Casio is hosting a variety of online math contests for students on the web site starting this month. The contests are divided into three levels – middle school, high school, and college - to test your skills. PRIZES will be awarded to contest winners!
Here’s how it works: new problems will be posted during the first week of each month. You simply decide which level you would like to answer and solve the problem. Once you have found your solution, enter it in the designated answer space and click on the submit button. All answers should be submitted by the date indicated on the web site and become the property of Casio, Inc. Casio will randomly select a winner for each contest level from the pool of entrants that have submitted a correct answer. The names of winners, their school name, and the prize won will be posted on the Casio web site.
This is a great opportunity to test your skills and have some fun at the same time. Try a problem that is a little more challenging and check to see if you are correct. This is also a great extra credit or challenge problem for teachers to give their students. Check out the latest contests here.
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