In 1992, the ACDCA (Austrian Center for Didactics of Computer Algebra) began a conference series focusing on the use of symbolic calculation software in mathematics education. The first international conference dedicated to the use of
Derive symbolic calculation software took place in 1994. After that time, ACDCA and
Derive (to which the TI-92 symbolic calculator was added in 1996) conferences were held in alternating years. In 2002, the two conferences were merged into one for the first time, in Vienna, Austria.
In 2004, the second joint ACDCA/DERIVE & TI-CAS conference will be held in Montréal, Canada at l'École de technologie supérieure (l'ÉTS), a school of applied engineering. At l'ÉTS, the TI-89, TI-92 Plus or Voyage 200 symbolic calculators are mandatory for all students enrolled at the Bachelor's level. Derive, Maple and Matlab software are used frequently by instructors and students in performing diverse calculations.
The ACDCA conferences deal primarily with didactical issues connected with the use of technology. The
Derive conferences are geared towards exploring the use of
Derive software and Texas Instruments symbolic calculators in education (at the high school, lycée, college and university levels) and towards using these tools in programming and research.
To learn more about ACDCA :
http://www.acdca.ac.at/.
To trace the evolution of Derive :
http://www.derive-europe.com/main.asp.