Class Activities
Probably the coolest feature of Desmos in terms of student learning are the class activities. You can use some that Desmos and other users have created, or make your own. They vary in content and complexity, and can be brief introductions or take a whole class period. At the college level, they could even be assigned as out-of-class work.
The full set currently available is searchable and broken down by topic at https://teacher.desmos.com/.
Desmos Activity Showcase | This activity isn't actually for a particular content area. It's just a nice demonstration of the different types of activities Desmos can do. Try as a student. |
Function Introduction | This is actually an activity I created for the conference, but it's based on one created by Desmos as a learning tool to introduce students to functions within Desmos. Try as a student. |
Function Carnival | Students watch a video and graph what they see to uncover (mis)conceptions about graphs. Try as a student. |
Systems of Two Linear Equations | This one is a nice demonstration of showing the results from a group to illustrate linear equations and their intersection. Try as a student. |
Marbleslides: Lines | These are so much fun! Students change the slope and y-intercept of lines (as well as restrict the domain) to make marbles run through the targets. Try as a student. |
Marbeslides: Parabolas | Similar to the lines version. Students try to transform parabolas with restricted domains to make marbles run through the targets. Try as a student. |
Avi and Benita's Repair Shop | This is the classic introduction to exponential growth - would you rather thave $100/day or start at 1c and double that value each day? Try as a student. |