Desmos for WL: The Greatest Teaching Tool I’ve Ever Used

Desmos is quite literally the best teaching tool I’ve ever used. The video below shows it all, and how to set it up as a teacher. In short, I use Desmos for live check-ins with students (Synchronous). Using a sort of jimmy-rigged system, I can come up with any question I want to on the fly, and Desmos allows me to view all students’ responses live. Essentially, it’s like looking over a student’s shoulder as they answer whatever task you’ve given, except you can look over ever student’s shoulder at the same time. It’s sort of like Nearpod, or Socrative, or GoFormative except better in different ways. There’s nothing quite the same as Desmos!

I’ll use it for forever, not just in the COVID era, because I’ve never been able to see the entire class’s responses to whatever question I want live. I’ve checked in with two or three students after a question. I’ve walked around the classroom while students are working to get a general sense of comprehension and what next step I need to take to clarify a concept or build to the next level. I’ve taken up assignments to grade and prepare feedback for the next lesson. But I’ve never been able to combine all of these tools with live instruction to take the next step right away. It’s a GAMECHANGER!

Here’s the video. Go check it out: