Des-blog

Which Is Steepest? is neither big nor splashy, but plays a very important role. In a tight seven screens, this activity takes from gut instincts about slope to probing the consequences of the formal definition.

Which segment is steepest?

How can you check?

Make a segment with in-between steepness

What might a student who thinks the blue segment below is steeper be thinking?

Is zero steepness a thing? What about infinite steepness?

All of the big, important, introductory questions about slopes of graphs surface for classroom discussion in seven short screens. That’s why Which Is Steepest? is this week’s Friday Fave.

And while you’re thinking about slope, have a look at these other great activities, too.

Land the Plane

Slanty Hills

Investigating Rates of Change

The Fave is in a calculator mood, and will keep this brief.

The making of movable points used to be quite mysterious, but no longer. This is because of the new “Drag” toggle. Click and hold as though you were going to change the color, and you’ll see the option to drag your point around.

You can set things to drag only vertically, only horizontally, or both. It works whether you originally specified your points numerically or with sliders.

More control over movable points is this week’s Friday Fave. Short and sweet and with a million uses.

Desmos is excited to see loads of you at the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Annual Conference in Washington DC this month.

Here’s where you’ll find us. First, two special events outside of the normal conference hours.

Desmos Preconference
Wednesday, April 25th • 9AM-12PM • 1PM-4PM

Are you in town early? Skip the sightseeing. Those monuments will be there next time. We won’t! Join us at our preconference in the morning (9-12) or afternoon (1-4).

Josephine Butler Parks Center
2437 15th Street Northwest
Washington, DC 20009

Math Trivia and Happy Hour
Thursday, April 26th • 6:30pm-9:30pm

Come by for the company. Stay around for the drinks & trivia with your host Dan Meyer.

Clyde’s - Piedmont Room
707 7th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001

Next here are some conference sessions from Desmos faculty and fellows.

Technology That Thinks WITH Students, Not FOR Students
Eli Luberoff
Thursday, April 26, 2018 • 11:00 AM-12:00 PM
Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Salon C

Being Right and Wrong in Different, Interesting Ways
Nolan Doyle
Thursday, April 26, 2018 • 1:30 PM-2:30 PM
Walter E. Washington Convention Center, room 154 AB

Full Stack Lessons
Dan Meyer
Friday, April 27, 2018 • 8:00 A.M.–9:00 A.M.
Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Ballroom A

Applying the Five Practices to Visual Patterns
Michael Fenton
Friday, April 27, 2018 • 9:45 AM-11:00AM
Walter E. Washington Convention Center, room 207 B

Transform a Worksheet to Build Equity and Engagement in the Classroom with Desmos Activity Builder
Jade White, Linda Saeta
Friday, April 27, 2018 • 9:45 AM-11:00 AM
Walter E. Washington Convention Center, room 152 B

From Counting to Calculus: All Students Are Mathematicians
Christopher Danielson
Friday, April 27, 2018 • 4:30 PM-5:30 PM
Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Ballroom A

Math Task Makeover with Desmos Activity Builder
Bob Lochel, Michael Fenton
Friday, April 27, 2018 • 4:30 PM-5:30 PM
Walter E. Washington Convention Center, room 146 A