Education Technology


Math TODAY for TI-Navigator System - College Costs Surge

Activity Overview

During this activity, students will explore the expected cost of college and also look at methods of saving money for the future. Comparing simple and compound interest will help students make decisions about their future. Students will compare two plans that address what happens over time with compound interest and what impact it makes on the total amount saved by starting early.

Before the Activity

Setup your TI-Navigator™ System

  • Make sure you are familiar with the following functions: Send to Class, Collect from Class, Screen Capture, Quick Poll and Activity Center

  • Your students will need a TI-83 Plus or TI-84 Plus graphing calculator, either working in pairs or individually
  • Download the attached activity resource files from all three sections to your computer

    Recommendations:
  • Multimedia Projector for sharing the Activity Center, Quick Polls and Screen Captures with your students

  • TI Keyboards for students to easily answer the LearningCheck assessment questions

  • During the Activity

    Students will:

  • Use a formula to find simple interest, given the principal, rate, and time for an investment
  • Investigate the effect of two different investment plans on the total value of an investment
  • Explore the future value of a given amount


  • Directions
  • Distribute the Student Edition PDF file to your class
  • Follow the activity procedures outlined in the Teacher document
  • You may use the Graphic PDF file to display a large image of the USA TODAY graphic during the activity

  • After the Activity

    Access your students' understanding by using Send to Class, LearningCheck™ App and Class Analysis.