As a trainer of undergraduate programs in pre-calculus, three ranges of calculus, airplane geometry, statistics, math for elementary- and middle-school academics, discrete math, differential equations and linear algebra, I’m at all times on the lookout for free supplies and software program to assist with classes.
GeoGebra and MyOpenMath have grow to be my go-to instruments for growing scholar comprehension of sophisticated subjects and creating detailed photographs.
A library of detailed classes, drawings
I’ve been looking GeoGebra for actions and utilizing it to create classes since 2011. This software lets me information college students in exploring summary ideas, equivalent to polar curves. Over time, I’ve created a sturdy library of classes and applets that college students can entry at any time and that any trainer can use free of charge.
My college students get a style of math subjects, equivalent to factoring quadratic expressions, earlier than I even educate the topic. This helps them grasp ideas sooner in the course of the precise lesson.
I’ve additionally devised some lesson applets for informative assessments, equivalent to a quiz on graphing complicated numbers. This system lets me see college students’ work immediately in addition to give them rapid suggestions, hints and assist. College students are excited to see their scores as quickly as they’ve submitted their work.
Surprisingly, creating the assignments doesn’t take as a lot time as I believed.
A software for writing in LaTex format
When college students at first had bother typing math symbols on GeoGebra, I added MyOpenMath to my instructing toolkit. This platform offers first-day entry to my studying supplies and lets college students simply sort math symbols within the LaTex format.
As a result of most questions on MyOpenMath are randomized, I create in-class observe assignments that embody issues just like examples in a textbook. I exploit the app’s Add Work characteristic to sort every step as I clarify find out how to clear up the issue, letting college students observe alongside.
After exhibiting an issue on my display, I ask college students to do the same downside on their display. They’re amazed they will do math issues with out paper and pencil. As they work, I verify on college students’ progress and reward right solutions. I supply hints to college students who’ve incorrect solutions, and plenty of college students search assist as they get caught in the course of the course of.
My trigonometry course includes quite a lot of drawing, so I labored with a number of different instructors to create drawing questions in MyOpenMath. College students now can draw some sophisticated shapes, like ellipses, hyperbolas or trig capabilities. As with GeoGebra’s success, MyOpenMath’s drawing characteristic helps college students be taught to graph capabilities a lot sooner than after I’m utilizing a chalkboard.
Assessments with near-instant suggestions
Instructors can create each informative and summative assessments on MyOpenMath. All questions are randomized, and instructors can set the time for every evaluation and make lodging for college kids with disabilities. These options assist stop dishonest on summative assessments.
The reply secret is hidden on the scholars’ view till after due dates, however instructors can put the reply key and college students’ solutions subsequent to one another on the display for fast checking and immediate suggestions.
Combining the 2
Some MyOpenMath questions embody GeoGebra to assist college students discover the subject earlier than the lesson. College students may work on statistics issues utilizing GeoGebra knowledge embedded on MyOpenMath.
These two instruments have helped my distant lessons grow to be extra energetic than my pre-pandemic in-person lessons. College students are extra engaged, and extra are passing my lessons. Subsequently, I made a decision to include them in face-to-face instructing in fall 2021 and make them a part of my Canvas programs. College students now not should pay supplies charges, and different academics can use my templates with a single click on.
Jose Mijares, my college’s calculus coordinator, now has constructed energetic studying programs with GeoGebra and MyOpenMath. And I’ve labored with Jennica Melendez, on extra studying actions for Calculus I, II and III.
