Past Activities

Conferences

Conference Title: 6th North American GeoGebra Conference

Location: Online, hosted by OISE/UT, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Dates: Monday May 8, 2023

Time: 1:00 pm EST to 5:00 pm EST

Program Schedule & Details:

Opening 1:00 pm

Plenary Speaker 1:05 - 2:00 pm

2 Oral Presentations (30 min/each)* 2:00 - 3:00 pm

2 Oral Presentations (30 min/each)* 3:00 - 4:00 pm

2 Oral Presentations (30min each)* 4:00 - 5:00 pm

Closing 5:00 pm

(*) Presentation time includes 5-10 min time for questions and comments from the audience. All presenters were invited. Presentations are in English.

Please use the link https://oise-utoronto.zoom.us/j/8949887699 to attend the conference. Some presentations may be recorded. This online conference features a plenary address, followed by two presentations from each of our member countries: Mexico, the USA, and Canada. The intent is to get updates from the International GeoGebra Institute on new developments in GeoGebra, and to exchange experiences in the use of GeoGebra within different levels of schooling.

Overview of Presentations & Speakers

1:05-2:00 pm, Robert Pontecorvo (IGI): Introduction to GeoGebra: The Present and the Future (Video Archive)

Abstract:  GeoGebra offers a set of powerful math tools that are used by millions of students and teachers worldwide to teach mathematics and science. This session will include a recorded video welcome from the creator and founder of GeoGebra, Markus Hohenwarter.  The GeoGebra Community & Relations Lead, Robert Pontecorvo, will then discuss the current updates and latest developments of GeoGebra’s apps, website, and teaching tools. Furthermore, insights will be provided into future developments that will offer exciting new possibilities for teaching and learning mathematics. A Q&A session at the end, will give participants the opportunity to get insights and answers directly from a core GeoGebra teammate.

Bio: Robert Pontecorvo is a professional educator with over thirty-five years of experience teaching mathematics in both the public and private sector.  He has served as the District Coordinator of Mathematics for the Sewanhaka Central High School District (the largest school district in Nassau County in Long Island, NY) where he oversaw more than eighty-five math teachers of grades seven through twelve.  Rob has been an adjunct professor for Adelphi University’s and Queens College’s Math Education Programs and even taught mathematics on live television for three years.  Rob has enjoyed a close relationship with GeoGebra since 2017 when, because of his initiative, he helped GeoGebra become the first calculator app permitted on a device for NY State high stakes exams.  He happily joined the GeoGebra team in 2021 as their Assessment & Relations Lead.  Rob lives on Long Island with his wife, children, and labradoodle.

2:00-2:30 pm, Erhan Selcuk Haciomeroglu (Temple University, Japan Campus): Using GeoGebra to Make Sense of Graphs in Multiple Representations (Video Archive)

Abstract: GeoGebra provides an opportunity to explore mathematical concepts through multiple representations. This talk illustrates how dynamic activities can be used to help students to make sense of graphs in context. Attendees will discuss how a problem can be extended using dynamic software and multiple representations, followed by discussions of implications for teaching and learning mathematics. 

Bio: Erhan Selcuk Haciomeroglu is a professor of mathematics education at Temple University, Japan Campus. His research focuses on the conceptual understanding of calculus and technology integration in teaching.

2:30-3:00 pm, Margarita Kondratieva (Memorial University, Mathematics Dept., Newfoundland): GeoGebra-based Interactive Text in Precalculus and Initiation of Transformative Learning (Video Archive)

Abstract: Interactive text is computer-based learning material that enables students to read and experiment with mathematical figures and equations. This could be done both independently and with minimal guidance from a teacher. In this talk we will discuss an interactive text related to some topics in precalculus. Geogebra was employed to produce the interactive components within the precalculus text. We will focus on the potential of this tool to initiate transformative learning, in particular, to make the learner aware and become critical of their assumptions, possibly leading to their change of perspective. 

Bio: Margo Kondratieva is a professor of Mathematics and Mathematics Education at Memorial University. As an instructor of mathematics, problem composer for various math competitions, teacher educator, and researcher in mathematics education, she is interested in tasks and institutional settings that promote learning beyond direct applications of given methods. The use of educational technology, mathematical tasks design, and development of mathematical reasoning and proofs are topics of her interest. 

3:00-3:30 pm, Joseph M. Furner (Florida Atlantic University, USA): Connecting GeoGebra to Math Manipulatives and Children’s Literature to Prepare Students for a STEM World (Video Archive)

Abstract: This presentation will share how significant it is to use many motivating approaches to reach all students in a STEM World to better reach and enhance the teaching of mathematics. The presentation will share Children’s literature picture books, Math manipulatives, photography, and GeoGebra illustrations to show many math concepts to learners while teaching math to better prepare our students for the STEM World we now live in to create math self-confidence and stimulate the K-12 learners.

Bio: Joseph M. Furner, Ph.D., is a Professor of Mathematics Education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Florida Atlantic University in Jupiter, Florida. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Math Education from the State University of New York at Oneonta and his Masters and Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction and Mathematics Education from the University of Alabama. His scholarly research relates to math anxiety, the implementation of the national and state standards, English language issues as they relate to math instruction, the use of technology like GeoGebra in mathematics instruction, math manipulatives, family math, and children’s literature in the teaching of mathematics. Dr. Furner is the founding editor of Mathitudes Online at: http://www.coe.fau.edu/centersandprograms/mathitudes/  Dr. Furner is the author of more than 95+ peer-reviewed papers and has been cited over 2400 times in Google Scholar by his peers. He has worked as an educator in New York, Florida, Mexico, and Colombia. He is the author of Living Well: Caring Enough to Do What’s Right. Dr. Furner currently lives with his family in Florida. He enjoys his job, family, civic and church involvement, gardening, and the beach. Please feel free to write to him at: jfurner@fau.edu

3:30-4:00 pm, Luz Manuel Santos-Trigo (Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute, Mexico City, Mexico): The Use of GeoGebra Affordances in Mathematical Problem-Solving Reasoning (Video Archive)

Abstract: In this talk, I will briefly refer to the importance and role of concrete or semiotic tools in the development of mathematics ideas. Tools amplify human cognition (memory, computation, representation, etc.) and their use shapes the ways people formulate and solve mathematical problems. Then, I will use a couple of examples to illustrate how the use of GeoGebra provides a set of affordances to approach mathematical problems. Dynamic models of simple mathematical objects become a departure point for students to engage in mathematical reasoning to identify mathematical relationships that connect contents and concepts that appear in high school curriculum.

Bio: Manuel Santos-Trigo is a Professor at the Centre for Research and Advances Studies in the mathematics education department. He teaches graduate courses and does research in mathematical problem solving and the use of digital technologies. 

4:00-4:30 pm, Viktor Freiman (Université de Moncton) & Alexei Volkov (National Tsing-Hua University, Taiwan): Using GeoGebra Applets to Support Understanding Calculation of Area of a Circle: Reflecting on Epistemological and Didactical Complexity of Rearrangement Method (Video Archive)

Abstract: A number of online resources are now available to teachers and their students to support exploration and deeper understanding of mathematical concepts and processes. One of example that needs to be investigated from epistemological and didactical perspective is related to approaches of introducing formula for calculating area of a circle. The circle is a shape that children discover at a very early age as something being ‘round like the sun in this sky’. It is also introduced at an intuitive level in primary grades. Quite early, usually around Grades 6-8, students get familiar with circumference and  area which requires some, at least initial conception of the infinity. Our ongoing study of historical and didactical development of the rearrangement method, one of frequently found in modern textbooks online resource reveals that it was already envisioned in the works of DaVinci and Kepler to find a path through didactical innovations in the 19th and 20th centuries (Freiman and Volkov, 2022; 2023, to come). Now, enriched by technological interactive tools, such as GeoGebra applets. During the presentation, we will provide examples of the applets and discuss epistemological and didactical issues to take into consideration by the teachers.

Bio: Viktor Freiman, Ph. D., professor of mathematics education, Université de Moncton, Canada. His research focuses on the use of technology, interdisciplinarity, history of mathematics education, problem solving, and creativity. He is president of the International Group for Mathematical Creativity and Giftedness. Co-Editor of the book Series Mathematics Education in the Digital Era with Springer.

Bio: Alexei Volkov is Professor of History at National Tsing-Hua University (Taiwan). His dissertation was devoted to the history of Chinese mathematics of the first millennium A.D. From 1986-2006 he held academic positions in USSR/Russia, France, Hong Kong, and Canada. Since 2006 he has worked at the National Tsing-Hua University (Taiwan). In 2007 he was a Member of the Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton). His recent publications include a co-edited monograph Computations and Computing Devices in Mathematics Education before the Advent of Electronic Calculators (Springer, 2018).

4:30-5:00 pm, Cesar Romero Felix & Jose Soto Munguia (Department of Mathematics, Universidad de Sonora, Mexico): Parameterization of Physical Objects in GeoGebra to Favor Visualization in Three Dimensions (Video Archive)

Abstract: We present the results of a didactic sequence applied to a group of 30 Science and Engineering university students, in an Analytical Geometry course. The sequence ends in an open problem of modeling a physical object through the parameterization of surfaces, using GeoGebra. The final activity integrates various concepts (vectors, conics, functions, and polynomial adjustment), not all of which were previously discussed in the course and has as its theoretical basis the transformation of semiotic representations and figural operations to solve geometric problems. The application was carried out in a computer center and lasted ten hours. 

Bios:

Dr. José Luis Soto Munguía is a tenured professor of the Department of Mathematics at the University of Sonora, and has participated in the Graduate Program in Educational Mathematics since its opening in 1982. He obtained his PhD in Cinvestav, Mexico, in 2003. He directs research projects in teaching and learning Geometry and Algebra, especially with the use of digital technologies.

Dr. Cesar Fabian Romero Felix has been a tenured professor in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Sonora since 2017 and is currently the coordinator of the Master's and Doctorate programs in Educational Mathematics. His research interests focus on cognitive development in mathematics supported by the visualization and use of digital environments, encompassing topics in Algebra and Calculus.

Conference Title: Designing Innovations in STEAM Education

Location: Virtual Conference hosted by the Linz School of Education, Johannes Kepler Universität, Linz, Austria

Dates: May 26-28, 2021

Website: https://www.geogebra.org/u/jkujan2021conf 

Conference Title: STEM 2021

Location: Virtual Conference hosted by the University of British Columbia, British Columbia, Canada

Dates: July 5-9, 2021

Website: https://stem2021.ubc.ca/ 

Conference Title: 5th North American GeoGebra Conference

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Dates: 21-22 November, 2014

Website: https://sites.google.com/site/geogebranorthamerica2014/

Conference Title: 4th North American GeoGebra Conference

Location: Oxford, Ohio, United States

Dates: 3-4 August 2013

Website: https://sites.google.com/site/ggbmidwest2013/

Conference Title: 3rd GeoGebra North America Conference

Location: Mexico City, Mexico

Dates: 25-28 July 2012

Website: http://geogebra.acatlan.unam.mx/

Conference Title: 2nd International GeoGebra Conference

Location: Linz, Austria

Dates: 29-31 August 2011

Website: http://www.geogebra.org/en/wiki/index.php/GeoGebra_Conference_2011 

Conference Title: 2nd GeoGebra North America Conference

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Dates: 17-18 June 2011

Titre de Conference: Déduction automatique et un logiciel de géométrie dynamique

Location: Montréal, Québec, Canada 

Dates: 10-11 Juin (June) 2011

Conference Title: GeoGebra North America Conference

Location: Ithaca College, Ithaca, New York, USA 

Dates: 27-28 July 2010

Website:  http://www.geogebra-na2010.org/

Conference Title: Canadian Mathematics Society Annual Winter Meeting

Location: University of Windsor, Windsor, ON

Dates: 5-7 December 2009

Website: http://www.cms.math.ca/Events/winter09/

Session Title: GeoGebra: Dynamic Mathematics for Teaching and Research

Session Presenters: Dragana Martinovic (University of Windsor), Zekeriya Karadag (OISE, University of Toronto), Daniel Jarvis (Nipissing University), and Oana Radu (Memorial University)

Session Description: This presentation will offer background information on GeoGebra, highlighting it as a dynamic learning environment that brings visual, algebraic, and numeric (as in the spreadsheet view) representations together.  Mathematics education methods courses offered in the pre-service programs emphasize proficient use of technology for effective mathematics education. The appeal of GeoGebra is that it is open access software, suitable for use in schools as well as at home. In this section of the presentation, experiences from introducing GeoGebra to the Intermediate/Senior pre-service teachers will be described in addition to some research done around GeoGebra.  The audience will be introduced to the GeoGebra International Institute and GeoGebra Institute of Canada.  

Session Title: First Canadian GeoGebra Competition

Session Presenters: Douglas McDougall (University of Toronto) and Zekeriya Karadag (University of Toronto)

Session Description: For the upcoming year, we, as members of the Organizing Committee of the GeoGebra Institute of Canada (GI-Canada), are planning the Institute’s outreach activities. One such activity which will promote GeoGebra and the idea of open access is a national competition regarding the creative use of the GeoGebra software. This First Canadian GeoGebra Competition will be announced at the GI-Canada inauguration at the Canadian Mathematics Society (CMS) 2009 Winter Meeting to be held at the University of Windsor, Ontario. We are in the process of developing the competition criteria, rubrics, and organisational structure. We consider this competition an excellent opportunity that will not only motivate the participants to become competent users of GeoGebra, but that will also help to enhance their mathematical creativity. However, we would be more than happy to extend this national competition into an international one. In the conference, we would like to seek for opportunities to collaborate with the other GeoGebra Institutes to facilitate and obtain funding for an International GeoGebra Competition. 

Session Title: GeoGebra Institute of Canada (GI-Canada)

Session Presenters: Douglas McDougall (University of Toronto) and Zekeriya Karadag (University of Toronto) 

Session Description: We, the Canadian GeoGebra team, started preliminary discussions regarding establishing a GeoGebra Institute of Canada (GIC) during the Canadian Mathematics Education Forum (CMEF) in Vancouver (May 2009). After some follow-up email communication, we developed a preliminary action plan during The Third International Symposium on Mathematics and its Connections to the Arts and Sciences (MACAS3) in Moncton (May 2009).  Our action plan, in which we discuss our initial thoughts on dynamic online learning environments in general, and GeoGebra in particular, were included in our final report for the CMEF conference. In addition, we organized an ad hoc session at the Canadian Mathematics Education Study Group (CMESG) meeting in Toronto (June 2009). The aforementioned activities and presentations sparked a lot of interest among Canadian mathematics educators and mathematicians. Our discussions also helped us create a group synergy which is important for the task upon which we wish to now embark. By considering the geographical layout of Canada, we propose the GIC as an umbrella institute and resource for future provincial GeoGebra branches. This proposal and related activities will be further discussed in ongoing meetings of the GIC Canada Organizing Committee. Our experience with this national process may indeed be used as a model for similar activities in other countries.

Conference Title: First International GeoGebra Conference

Location: RISC, Castle of Hagenberg near Linz, Austria

Dates: 14-15 July 2009

Website: http://www.geogebra.org/en/wiki/index.php/GeoGebra_Conference_2009

Conference Title: Canadian Mathematics Education Study Group (CMESG) Annual Meeting

Location: York University, Toronto, ON

Dates: 5-9 June 2009

Session Title: The GeoGebra Institute of Canada

Session Presenters: Zekeriya Karadag (OISE, University of Toronto) and Oana Radu (Memorial University)

Session Description: The goals of this presentation were to raise awareness on the GeoGebra dynamic open source software within the Canadian mathematics education community, to present the benefits of using GeoGebra within universities and high-schools and ultimately to describe a possible structure for the GeoGebra Institute of Canada (GIC). GIC will be part of the IGI, the International GeoGebra Institute, which is a central virtual organization that works together with independent regionally based GeoGebra Institutes. The mission of the GeoGebra Institute is to train and support professional development and support for pre-service and in-service teachers, develop and share resources and classroom materials and extend the dynamic mathematics software GeoGebra, and to conduct and support GeoGebra related research which focuses on the teaching and development activities and to promote the collaboration between IGI and the local GeoGebra Institutes. The presenters used the comments and suggestions of the Canadian mathematics education community to adjust the proposed structure of the GeoGebra Institute of Canada, and ultimately to contribute to the creation of GeoGebra Institute of Canada.