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Texas Instruments - Education Technology Overview

Education Technology, a business of Texas Instruments, is a technology leader working with educators throughout the world in developing classroom technology.

TI works with educators from inception to production to design products, training programs and support materials that enrich the classroom learning experience at every grade level. TI offers a wide range of advanced classroom tools that enable students and teachers to interactively explore a diverse curriculum of educational subjects.

Connecting the classroom experience with real-world applications, TI's technology includes an array of handheld technology, computer software and data-collecting devices.

Education Technology Origins

TI's Education Technology group and its invaluable relationship with teachers and students started more than 20 years ago. In 1986 TI received a request from the state of Connecticut for 10,000 simple "four-function" calculators. These activities alerted TI that the educational community was largely ready to accept the use of new handheld technology as a teaching aid.

Thus began TI's highly successful practice of having its product development teams meet with educators to design better, more useful classroom tools. By incorporating educators into the product development process, the products more accurately reflect the functionality that teachers want and need.

Educator Support

One of TI's greatest strengths is helping educators integrate new technology into classrooms. TI provides classroom activities, training resources and supplemental materials such as downloadable online teacher resources for classroom instruction, activity books and presentation aids like the ViewScreen™ projector panel and the TI Presenter™ video interfaces. Many of the materials and training materials are written by educators and include sample lessons, activities and suggestions for teaching particular concepts.

Another support program is the Workshop Loan Program, in which TI loans handheld units and data-collection devices for teacher evaluation and workshops.

TI is also the primary sponsor of T³ - Teachers Teaching with Technology™, the largest professional development program for math and science teachers in the United States and Canada. The T³ program trains about 14,000 teachers a year on the appropriate use of handheld technology.

Also offered are Web site discussion groups and Internet email lists for teachers to share ideas and ask questions of other educators. Educators are also encouraged to take part in courses offered throughout the year by other educators trained to use new classroom technologies.

Introduction of Flash Memory Technology

TI pioneered the use of Flash memory in handheld graphing units, developing a line of Flash-based handheld tools and add-on software applications (Apps). In 1998, TI introduced the TI-73 Explorer™ handheld device with Flash for middle grades, as well as the TI-89 and TI-92 Plus and the TI-83 Plus product - the company's most popular graphing unit.

With the addition of Flash, users have the ability to upgrade the functionality of their units by installing current and future calculator software Apps. Using a cable attached to a computer, a handheld graphing unit's operating system can be updated to the newest release or latest application software. This enables users to customize their graphing units to support their curriculum.

From "Topics in Algebra I," which provides specific curriculum topics, overviews and supporting activities, to "Inequality Graphing," which provides additional capabilities to support important concepts, TI offers a deep and wide variety of software Apps for its users.

 

Susan Herman

Vice President , Texas Instruments, Inc.

Susan Herman joined TI in 1986 and currently serves as vice president of product development, responsible for the product lifecycle process for the Education Technology business. In this capacity, Herman leads worldwide product strategy and development for a portfolio of products, including the newest innovation in education technology; the TI-Nspire platform.

Herman’s technical background helps her lead the business to effectively evaluate the needs of the educational customer while synthesizing the role of new and needed technology. This results in products that fit existing classroom needs with the flexibility for growth and customization. Because educational technology has an extended life cycle, it’s often difficult to gauge when the market is ready for a new product. Herman’s department interacts with hundreds of educators in multiple countries to ensure that the business is on track with its plans and projections.

A TI veteran for more than 20 years, Herman has also spent time working with TI’s semiconductor and defense systems groups.

Herman holds a Master in Business Administration from the University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She currently lives in Dallas, Texas.  

 

Melendy Lovett

President, Education Technology, Texas Instruments, Inc.

MelendyLovett.jpg (196263 Byte)Melendy Lovett is president of Texas Instruments' (TI) Education Technology business and senior vice president of Texas Instruments, Incorporated. She has worldwide responsibility for TI's leadership position in math and science educational technology and professional development. She is also a member of TI's strategic leadership team.

During her eleven years with TI, Lovett has specialized in leading cross-functional initiatives involving major investments of company resources. Her work has included leading large projects in TI's Enterprise Systems Consulting Group including the development and implementation of the company's highly successful compensation and benefits strategy.

Prior to joining TI, Lovett was a senior manager with consulting firm Coopers & Lybrand. While at C&L, Lovett advised clients in the manufacturing, distribution, real estate, publishing, communications, and oil and gas industries.

In addition to her strategic strengths, Lovett possesses a long-standing personal commitment and passion for math and science education. She helped found, and currently leads an initiative of TI women who are working to improve math and science education for girls.

Lovett is a certified public accountant with a master's degree in accounting from the University of Texas at Dallas and a bachelor's degree in management and management information systems from Texas A&M.

 

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If you have additions to the above article please email: joerg@datamath.org.

© Texas Instruments Incorporates,  Dallas and Joerg Woerner, October 14, 2007. No reprints without written permission.