1. Initial Thoughts
1.1. Site seems like a glorified graphing calculator
1.1.1. Dan Meyers is involved so it must be more than that
1.2. Activity Builder reminds me of Kahoot: Activity begins by the teacher posting a "class code" on the website teacher.desmos.com. Students go to student.desmos.com and type in the class code. Students do not need to login which simplifies the process.
2. Explore here
2.1. Website: https://www.desmos.com/
2.1.1. Looks like a fun and helpful site to create a fun lesson! M. Paul
2.1.1.1. I'm honestly not sure this would be useful to a social studies teacher, such as myself, but my wife teaches fifth grade and I showed it to her. It looks like she's going to check it out and see how it can be used in her math class. I may be able to find a use, but I'd have to look around a little more at. -J.Lopez
2.1.1.1.1. That's fantastic that your wife could use it! I'm not sure it's very useful for social studies, but you never know! -S.Alvarez
2.2. An example of the social networking aspect of the website is the activity builder section, such as this one: https://teacher.desmos.com/activitybuilder/custom/56097548686358ae072fff2d
2.2.1. Thank You for the examples and site! M. Krotz
3. Enhances the Learning Process
3.1. Inquiry based learning: students explore the concept first and then draw conclusions based on their findings.
3.1.1. Bloom's Taxonomy could be applied using Desmos. M. Paul
3.1.1.1. Absolutely!!! As I am considering using it in my course this week, I am wondering if it is too high up the Taxonomy for this early into our lessons. S.Alvarez
3.2. Teachers can lead students through the process in a step by step way, doing one problem at a time.
3.2.1. Can students lead each other, too? -Dr. Fritz
3.2.1.1. Absolutely! It is thought provoking! S. Alvarez
3.3. In each step of the activity, students post their response to the given question and click "submit to class", they are able to see other students responses once they have posted their own.
3.4. The teacher is also able to see all student responses and can reveal all student answers on the smart board.
3.5. Discussions can ensue based on the responses that students typed into Desmos.
3.5.1. This is an important part of the learning process to be able to discuss the concepts and to be able to do it in such a hands-on way. M. Paul
4. More than just a math website: social networking
4.1. I have had my eye on this website for a long time, but I have been a little unclear on what exactly it accomplishes. After poking around on it this week, I realized that it fits perfectly into a "social media productivity tool" that math teachers can use.
4.1.1. if you aren't a math teacher, you probably aren't going to be too interested in my social media tool! My apologies!
4.1.1.1. I am not a math teacher, but I was still very interested. It is always good to be introduced and aware of all tools out there. Plus, all elementary teachers teach math. I am teaching improper fractions and mixed numbers currently in 4th grade! M. Krotz
4.1.1.1.1. I'm so glad you were able to find value! :) -S.Alvarez