My Mission #3 assignment with MTBoS was to explore one, only ONE of several excellent websites and write a blog about my experiences. Since I just commented in my previous entry that I didn’t know anything about Desmos (and everyone who is anyone on MTBoS seems to use it) I decided that now was the time to learn it. So I did a couple of the basic challenges on Daily Desmos and I was pleased with my trigonometric transformational approach. I wonder if anybody else tried that. The online Desmos graphing calculator is user friendly and the Desmos Challenge problems (matching graphs) complements my Precalculus curriculum very nicely, so I hope to incorporate it in my classroom. I will have to Twitter some questions first…
Of course, I had to check out some of the other interesting websites:
Estimation 180: Teaching estimation skills with pictures (similar to the visual approach of Dan Meyer’s Three Act problems) I like the idea of using my own pictures to do some interesting warm-up problems.
VisualPatterns: I can use definitely use these in the classroom (functions, sequences) and with math club. Saves me a lot of work! Woo-hoo!
Math Mistakes: What a novel idea–posting student mistakes and then reflecting on the conceptual misunderstandings and implications for teaching. I read some very insightful posts. Here was a great one:
Mistakes, Radicals, Rational Exponents, and Partitioning?
One Good Thing: A forum for teachers to post something GOOD that happened in their classroom. Very uplifting 🙂
And …. I just figured out how to embed the links to all of these in my post! Another Woo-Hoo!
Musings on Math by an Experienced Amateur 
I’m honored to be mentioned in the same post as Estimation 180, Three Acts, Visual Patterns, and Math Mistakes. There are so many amazing resources online, and so many generous people willing to share their work for free! I wish I had more time to explore, but it’s fun to see the fruits of others’ explorations in the meantime.
If you have time—and you’re not unwilling—maybe an “about me” page could be the next addition to the blog. Either way, you’re off to a great start!
P.S. One Good Thing is unique and beautiful and amazing!
P.P.S. Great work with the embedded links. 🙂
P.P.P.S. Send me a note on Twitter (@mjfenton). I’m also at a private Christian school (K-12, I work in 7-12) and would love to connect with others in similar situations, whether to trade ideas, share curriculum, or encourage in some other way.
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I like your approach to the a Daily Desmos 221b shown above. Different from how I thought about it. It shows how many approaches there are to a problem. I’m also a Christian school teacher (a little bit farther south than Michael Fenton).
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I checked out your blog and saw that you teach Precalc and Statistics (AP?) as I do and you also took Jo Boaler’s online class. I look forward to sharing ideas.
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And my son went to Calvin in Grand Rapids. Small world.
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Love your post. I’m finding the collaborative sites to be very helpful … using Estimation 180 fairly regularly … next want to dive into visual patterns.
As I read the other comments on your post my thoughts … I”m a Christ follower in a large secular high school … finding the online community to be an amazing way to connect!
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Jane! How do I follow your blog?? dawn
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When I am in wordpress, there is a task bar at the top of the page and one of the choices is a + sign with “follow” written beside it. Just press that. Since you are also in wordpress, I think that’s all you do. I haven’t added to my blog for a long time, but maybe I’ll pick it up again.
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