Desmos in the Math Classroom

In the digital age, web-based resources and tools for teaching in your classroom often come and go. It is challenging to keep up with new developments, and even more so to know which ones will truly make an impact in your students' learning. This course explores Desmos, a free-to-use, dynamic platform with a variety of features to enhance mathematics classroom instruction, student engagement, and meaningful collaboration between students. In this course, students will explore the free-to-use offerings of Desmos, master the skills necessary to leverage the platform, and use the platform to create and adapt lessons in their curriculum for immediate use in the classroom.

This course will explore the Desmos graphing calculator, pre-made activities, the teacher dashboard tool, and how to create and edit your own activities with Desmos Activity Builder. Beginners trying Desmos for the first time as well as experienced users will benefit from this course. There is something for everyone. This course can be completed with or without access to current students. It does not matter what level of math you teach. However, certain functions of Desmos definitely lend themselves to middle grades and high school math, but Desmos has a wide variety of resources for elementary math as well. Modules and activities are aligned to the Common Core Standards for Mathematics, and the Common Core Standards for Mathematical Practice.

This course is applicable towards the Mathematics Teaching Certificate and Classroom Technology Integration Certificate.