Reflection

Completing this analysis has forced me to look at an application from a variety of perspectives, not just that of a teacher. Having been a teacher for a long time, this wasn’t an easy task. I have been involved in choosing technology for my school and district, but it was strictly as a consumer. Considerations for a consumer are much different than for an investor.

I decided to analyze Desmos because it is a tool I am trying to integrate much more into my grade 12 Math 30-1 class this semester. All of my students either have their own laptop or have been assigned a school Chromebook so they all have access to a device to use the program. The majority of the students prefer to use Desmos over the Texas Instruments graphing calculators that I have. This analysis allowed me to investigate Desmos more and to see if any of the competition would be better. I will be continuing to use Desmos, along with the resources it provides.

At some point in the near future, I am hopeful that Alberta Education realizes the value and potential of online applications like Desmos and approves them for use on provincial Diploma exams and we can eliminate the use of graphing calculators in class.