Using the Ti-84 Plus CE Online App in Your Classroom

The Texas Instruments Ti-84 Plus CE Online Calculator is a browser application that can be used in countless ways in the classroom. It serves as a fantastic reference to show your students how to use their graphing calculator, how certain functions look like when being graphed, and how to best optimize the settings on their calculator to properly display the functions they are graphing.

To sign in to the application, simply visit the sign in page for the Ti-84 Plus CE Online Calculator at 84plusce.ti.com. We recommend bookmarking this link so its easy to find. Once signed in, you will be greeted by a virtual Ti-84 Plus CE Graphing Calculator! The Ti-84 Plus CE Online Calculator works exactly like a physical Texas Instruments Ti-84 Plus CE would.

Why Choose the TI-84 Plus CE Online Calculator?

Today, there are a plethora of free-to-use online calculators available to both students and teachers. These online calculators are able to solve simple equations and even graph them out. This leads us to an important question: Why should you consider purchasing the TI-84 Plus CE Online Calculator in your classroom over one of the various free online calculator applications?

While free online calculators can be a great asset and aid for learning, they do not prepare your students as well as a TI-84 Plus CE Online Calculator can. During standardized testing, students will not be able to use a free online calculator. Instead, they’ll have to use a physical calculator. The TI-84 Plus CE can be utilized on the PSAT®, SAT® and ACT® college entrance exams, as well as IB® Diploma Program and AP® exams that allow or require a graphing calculator. To best prepare your students for these exams, teaching with the TI-84 Plus CE Online Calculator will help each of your students learn and familiarize themselves with their calculator as the calculator being used on your screen will look nearly identical to the one in their hands.

On the day of the big test, students can frequently experience from the "testing scarries." If your students are unfamiliar with their calculator, this has the potential consequence of impeding their test taking skills, confidence, and scores.

How can I use the TI-84 Plus CE Online Calculator in my classroom?

Since the online calculator is nearly identical to the physical TI-84 Plus CE, anything you can do on the physical calculator can be performed on the online calculator in front of your math class. The best places to use the TI-84 Plus CE Online Calculator in the classroom are when teaching students new functions on their calculators or when graphing equations. A handy feature for any course to use is the "Screen Capture" feature in the top-left hand corner of the app (it's a little icon that looks like a camera). Any time you click this camera, a window pops up that allows you to take a screenshot of the calculator's "screen." You're then given the option to either copy or download the screen capture. These screenshots can be used on worksheets, tests, slide shows, study guides, or reviews in your classroom. Additionally, these calculator screenshots can be a huge resource to help students visualize the concepts being referenced.

An image showing how to take a screen capture on the TI-84 Plus CE Online Calculator

The TI-84 Plus CE Online Calculator in Action

Let’s run through an exemplary day of what your class session could look like with the TI-84 Plus CE Online Calculator.

1. Before class begins, log in to 84plusce.ti.com.
2. Click the y= button and enter X then x².
3. Click the graph button.
4. Click the camera icon in the top left corner of the screen.
5. In the pop-up screen, select one of the 2 options next to the “Capture Screen” text. The first will copy the image, the second will download the image.
6. In a slideshow application, paste or insert the copied or downloaded screen capture into a new slide.
7. Next to the image, type out the question: Which equation is most likely being graphed in this image? Give students the choices: a. y=x² b. y=|x| c. y=1/x d. y=√x
8. Display this slide on the board as students come in to the classroom.
9. Once settled in, have your students attempt to solve the question. Take into account their responses and the reasoning behind their choice.
10. Reveal the answer to your students.
11. Display your browser with the online TI-84 Plus CE Online Calculator to the classroom and have each student pull out their calculators.
12. Guide the students through the steps you took to create the graph. Have them follow along every button-press on their handheld calculators.
13. Show students how the graphs for the rest of the choices would look.

To graph y=|x|

1. Press the y= button and go to the second line Y2 using the down arrow button.

2. Press the math button. Hit the left arrow button to get the “NUM” tab.

   
   
   

1. Press  1 to select abs(. Hit the X button.
2. Press the graph button.

To graph y=1/x

1. Press the y= button and go to the third line Y3 using the down arrow button.
2. Press 1, then the ÷ button, then the X button.
3. Press the graph button.

To graph y=√x

1. Press the y= button and go to the fourth line Y4 using the down arrow button.
2. Press the blue 2nd button, then x² button that shows a blue √ sign in the top left, then the X button.
3. Press the graph button.

Have students take note on the different shapes. As your cursor moves on the board to press a button on your online calculator, your students will follow on their physical handheld calculators. This can help your students familiarize themselves with their calculators, as well as visually and physically "connecting the dots" with how their calculator functions.

The above is a great warm-up exercise to introduce students to the basic shapes of different equations. Continue on with your pre-established lesson plan for the day. You can use the screen capture capability to take screenshots of various graphs made on your online calculator and compile them in a document. You can then use those images to assess your students' progress. Ask them to identify each graph’s equation to the best of their ability.

Ti-84 Plus CE Online Calculator Resources

If you’d like more activities to work through in your classroom, check out the Texas Instruments Activity Center. This site holds many activities for STEM students in various courses, all using the TI-84 Plus family. If you’re interested in purchasing a 1-year subscription for the TI-84 Plus CE Online Calculator, you can visit our store listing. You can also request a quote if you plan on ordering multiple subscriptions for your department. Have more questions about using your TI-84 Plus CE Online Calculator? Reach out to us! We’ll assist to the best of our ability.

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