You have heard about Desmos – but do you know how to use and teach it? Desmos is a free and accessible advanced graphing calculator which is available as a web application or a mobile application. Desmos calculators are embedded into most digital high-stakes math assessments, including the SAT.
The goal is for your students to have solid tech skills in order to access and complete digital/online math. When a student has solid tech skills – and solid math concepts – the TSVI’s responsibility is to make sure that the student can access and complete the math assignment. If learning a new skill, such as how to create a scatter plot, that might mean that the student goes to his/her resources, watches a YouTube video or does an Internet search on how to use Desmos to create a scatter plot graph with JAWS. The student follows the steps in the resource and applies his/her skills to complete the assignment.
If your student is not able to create the scatter plot after watching, taking notes on and following the video tutorial or following written instruction, the student should be able to communicate where he/she became confused. What’s the next step? Find a second source. Contact a resource for help depending on what the problem is. If the issue is an access or JAWS issue, contact the TSVI, AT specialist or peer/mentor who is familiar with JAWS, and/or do another online research. If it is math concept, contact the math instructor or even a sighted peer/mentor who is good in math, or perform another online search that covers that specific issue.
Not all students have developed strong tech skills or have built the pre-requisite math skills. What do you do then? Remember the old saying, “If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.” Take the extra time now to build the 4 C’s for 21st Century learners: Critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity – it will save significant time later and you will set your student up for success! How to implement the 4 C’s strategies? The TSVI or AT specialist can silently observe the student work thru the steps from the video and analyze what skill gaps the student has. Pull in the math instructor if it is a math content issue. Then, provide guided thinking prompts as necessary. If additional support is needed, include reviewing specific tech commands, pulling out tactile graphics to transfer skills from tactile to digital formats, etc. Again, the big goal is NOT to spoon-feed the student the information, but to develop the These are real-life strategies!
Can your student learn how to create a scatter plot with JAWS by watching this video tutorial? If not, what are your student’s strengths and weaknesses. What skills need to be worked on? Do these skills need to be added to the IEP?
If you are working with younger students, think about the skills needed to do activities like creating a scatter plot. How can you break down the pre-requisite tech skills and math skills in earlier grades in order to prepare your student to be successful in the future.
Modification: If creating a scatter plot is too advanced for your student, substitute an appropriate – use an available video tutorial or create your own video tutorial that relates to what your student is/will be learning in class.
In this video tutorial, Dr. Denise Robinson with Tech Vision demonstrates how to create a scatter plot with JAWS. A huge benefit of using Desmos is the recent ability to create a ‘line of best fit’.
A couple takeaways from the video:
Additional posts on Desmos and other math-related content can be found on the Digital Math Summary Page. For younger students, also see the Math Apps and Activities Summary Post for Students K-3rd Grade page.
by Diane Brauner
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