Desmos Tutorials

Table of Contents

Desmos

Overview

Desmos is a web based software application that provides advanced math functions, and may be used as a graphing calculator. The app offers a variety of tools and options that support the development of digital classroom activities.

In this tutorial we will explore how to create a digital card sort using Desmo and learn how to share the card sort in Canvas.

Card sort activities are often placed in the following 5E sequences:

  • Explain/Closing

  • Extend/Additional Learning Activity

  • Evaluate/Assessment


Create a Desmos Card Sort

  • Login to Desmos. In an internet browser, go to desmos.com. Sign In or Sign Up for a teacher account. You may Login with a Google account or Apple account.

  • Check account settings. If this is the first custom activity that has been created in Desmos, check the settings. In the browser, type teacher.desmos.com/labs and ensure that the Computation Layer option is enabled (it will be noted with a checkmark if enabled).

  • Create a Custom Activity. Click the Custom link under the Your Activities category in the navigation menu [1].

  • New Activity. Click the New Activity link to begin a new activity [1]. Add a title and activity description. Select the share settings. If the activity is intended to be shared with students select the Link option which allows anyone with the link to view the activity [3].

  • Create New Activity. Click the Create New Activity button to create the activity[4].

  • Select Activity Type. Click the Card Sort activity [5].

  • Add Activity Details. Add a title or instructions for the students [6].

  • Select media type [7]. Select a media type, the options include:

    • Math or text. Insert Text or math equations

    • Image. Insert images. Note: Cards do not allow for both text and images. Text may be added to the image file and uploaded.

    • Graph. Add graphs.

      • Click the media type multiple times to add additional cards to the card sort

    • Answer Key. Add an answer key to for close ended activities.

  • Add Media to Card Sort. Click the media types to add multiple cards to the Card Sort [8].

Preview & Publish the Card Sort [9]. Click the Preview button to view the card sort. Click the Publish button to publish the card sort. This will open a new page.

Share Desmos Card Sort

  • Assign the card sort. Once the card sort has been published, click the Assign button to view the dropdown [1].

  • Single Session Code. From the dropdown menu, select the Single Session Code [2]. A session will be created.

  • Copy URL. Once the session has been assigned, click the options icon (three dots) [3] and select Student Link [4]. Copy the provided URL to the clipboard [5].

Share Desmos Cardsort in Canvas

Share Desmos Card Sort in Canvas. There are two (2) ways to share a Desmos card sort in Canvas. The first option is to share the card sort with students by distributing a URL. The second option is to embed the card sort into Canvas using the HTML editor. By embedding the code using the HTML code, students can complete the card sort without leaving Canvas.


Open Canvas Activity. Once the URL has been copied from Desmos, navigate to Canvas and open the activity by clicking the title of the Canvas activity in which the card sort will be added.

  • Edit. Click the Edit button to edit the activity [1].

  • Share Using URL. Copy the Desmos URL to the clipboard (see Tab two (2) for instructions) and paste the link into the body of the Canvas activity.

    • Tip: Shorten the URL by creating a hyperlink to text. Highlight the text to create the hyperlink> click the Link to URL icon [3]. A new dialog box will appear. Paste the URL in the field and click Insert Link.

  • Share Using Embed Code. This option will allow students to complete the card sort in Canvas.

    • HTML Editor. Click the HTML editor link [4] and copy the following text into the body of the editor [5]:

      • <p><iframe src="[INSERT DESMOS LINK HERE - remove brackets, leave quotes]” “width="800" height="600"></iframe></p>

  • View Embed Content. Click the Rich Content Editor [6] link to view the embedded content [7].

  • Save. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the Save button to save the changes [8].