TI-BASIC

TI-BASIC is the programming language used on a range of TI graphics calculators, such as the TI-83 series and the TI-84+ series. This is of consequence because these calculators are commonly used for high school mathematics, especially in higher level classes when graphing functionality is required.

The best thing about programming in TI-BASIC is that is can be done completely on the calculator itself, with no need for a computer.

There are a number of benefits to teaching students how to program TI-BASIC, and could be taught during IT or integrated into a maths class. Firstly, TI-BASIC is a great introductory programming language, and features most things you would expect, such as input, text and graphics output, variables, conditional statements, loops, etc. Unfortunately not functions, but it has goto statements. Secondly, if integrated into a maths class, TI-BASIC can be used to help students understand various formulas by creating programs using them. These range from simple things such as converting a temperature between fahrenheit and celcius, to advanced things such as interfaces for creating graphs, etc. The major benefit of doing this is that the students are required to extend their knowledge and create using what they have learned, rather than just remembering.

There are a number of resources available for learning how to program in TI-BASIC, ranging from beginners guides aimed at people who have never programmed before, to things a bit more advanced. Here is a list of some of these resources:

[] This guide outlines most of the functions you would want to use when programming. It does not cover programming basics/theory however.
 * TI-83 Plus BASIC Programming Tutorial: A Beginners' Guide **

[] The TI-BASIC Wiki has information about all aspects of the language and is a great resource for learning as well as reference. The site contains pages about individual functions which explain how they work and their usage, as well as introductory guides to programming in TI-BASIC.
 * TI-BASIC Wiki**

[] [] Both of these guides give a good introduction to programming in TI-BASIC, and is worth reading both together as each explain certain topics better than the other, for example, the second provides a very good introduction to variables.