HP Forum Archive 17

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New Addiction Message #1 Posted by dbatiz on 28 Feb 2007, 5:11 p.m. Sirs, Has the forum ever considered a page for younger users? I envision a FAQ section with examples that would supplement the information in the manuals. And maybe a collection of programming challenges targeted at grade specific skills. I've introduced two 8th graders to HP calcs (11c and 50g) and they both have sworn off algebraic devices for ever. A forum for middle school and high school students with tips, tricks and techniques may help firm up the next generation of HP users. I say this is a new addiction because acquiring my 11c is nowhere as satisfying as seeing it used for homework. Same for my 50g, having mine is OK, but putting a one into a young persons hands as simply awesome! Even my wife supports this addiction... Any thoughts? Very Respectfully, David

Re: New Addiction Message #2 Posted by Reuben on 28 Feb 2007, 10:32 p.m., in response to message #1 by dbatiz I think this is a great idea! I started using my 28s that my brother found, and gave me, in 7th grade. I had no manual, and nobody to help me with it. Needless to say, I didn't get very far until I bought the manuals 2 years later. And getting the youngsters hooked on HP RPN calcs will help ensure that they (the calcs) have a rich future! --Reuben

Re: New Addiction Message #3 Posted by John Garza on 1 Mar 2007, 1:04 a.m., in response to message #1 by dbatiz Excellent idea. Most new information is for the college student, PE exam taker, etc. There is definitely a gap. In addition to traditional programming assignments, I think it would be a good idea to give small groups of students larger tasks, even at an early age. That way they can divide up the work, and integrate it into a cohesive whole. This gives them a taste of project managment and working with others - something that is done in the real world but frequently omitted from academic assignments. Of course, this is done with some prior instruction in solving problems with groups of people. And those skills are more valuable than learning programming. I've found that once a young person sees what they can accomplish as a group - even if they are only moderately successful - it's very hard to douse the flame that follows.

Re: New Addiction Message #4 Posted by Bruce Bergman on 3 Mar 2007, 1:10 a.m., in response to message #1 by dbatiz David, I love the idea! I have been trying to wage my own personal fight against the TI calcs with my nieces and nephews, but I figured the battle was solely mine. It appears I'm not alone. My family knows of my love of HP calcs, and I have offered to buy HP calcs for any of my nieces and nephews if they wanted to experience "the other side" of things. So far a couple of them have taken me up on it, which I am very happy about. However, I had not thought there were many other youngsters into HP calcs, and I love your idea. In fact, I love it so much that I'd be willing to put up a complementary site for the purpose of giving kids a place to talk about their calcs, share tips, etc -- all the things you've mentioned. I'd be willing to get the domain name, host it and handle the administrative side of everything, but I would seriously need to rely on other experts from here or other places to contribute content. If there are others interested in helping, I think we can really get something going. BTW, I don't envision this as a competitor at all to the awesome resource we have here, but rather a sister site -- something for the kids to use and which could leverage resources, including this one. So, I've thrown down the gauntlet. :-) I'll set it all up and get it going if there are folks willing to contribute. Anyone? thanks, bruce

Re: New Addiction Message #5 Posted by Eddie Shore on 3 Mar 2007, 10:39 a.m., in response to message #4 by Bruce Bergman The two big calculators to target are the 50g and the 12c (for business). I am willing to contribute tricks and programs.

Re: New Addiction (i.e., starting a site for kids) Message #6 Posted by Bruce Bergman on 6 Mar 2007, 10:41 a.m., in response to message #4 by Bruce Bergman Well, the response was...underwhelming. I guess we're not yet at the point where folks are ready to contribute their knowledge of HP and RPN to the younger generation. At least not outside the confines of this hallowed hall. My offer will remain open indefinitely: if I can get a small cadre of dedicated helpers, I'll take it from there. thanks, bruce

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