TI-Nspire to Inspire Tech Education in India
TI-Nspire Technology
With an array of digital teaching tools, global semiconductor company Texas Instruments (TI) is all set to transform the science and technology education in Indian schools. Among its forays in the education market, TI joined hands with a local education services company Core Education & Technologies today, Sept. 29.
The partnership aims to deliver new tech options for teaching and learning mathematics and science in middle and secondary schools of India. As the focus of their solutions will be on improving level of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, the two companies have integrated their offerings under a STEMpower brand.
[ Also Read: Knowledge Stories for Children – Ten Tales ]“At TI, it is our mission to ensure that every student has an opportunity to stay engaged in learning math and science,” said Melendy Lovett, president of TI Education Technology.
TI’s TI-Nspire technology, which includes a handheld device, software, navigation and data collection system, will stay at the heart of the STEMpower solution that will be customized depending on the local schools’ requirements.
[ Also Read: Adam Braun Makes a Penciled Promise to Children ]Last year when offering TI-Nspire with Touchpad graphing calculator in the U.S., TI had announced that with a TI-Nspire purchase, students will receive 25 minutes of free online homework help from Tutor.com.
They were asked to enter the calculator’s I.D. number at http://www.tutor.com/ti/ and create an account or sign on to an existing account to access tutors in algebra, trigonometry, chemistry, calculus, physics and other subjects. (Read: On-the-go Learning for Students with TI-Nspire)
However, at this stage, the company does not have any such content scheme for the Indian buyers. Also, to expand its footprint in the Indian school education segment, TI would need to offer its education gear through retail channels also.
For example, it started selling its calculator through leading office supply chains and U.S. retailers including Staples, Office Depot, Best Buy and Wal-Mart.
[ Also Read: LeapPad Explorer: a Learning Tablet for Kids ]“Our association with TI is an important step in bringing revolution in teaching, learning, and assessment of math and science in the Indian education space,” said Sanjeev Mansotra, chairman, Core.
STEMpower is stated to be a practical solution for transforming the traditional math and science laboratories in schools. The immediate target will be CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) schools in India.
While the schools will have investment protection options in their existing labs, the cost of setting up a basic STEMpower lab is estimated to be around Rs. 500,000 (about US$10,000).
