This is one of the neatest little applications that I’ve played around with for a while. I’m always interested in the best ways to help people visualize mathematics. This foots the bill nicely. In the classroom, if you have an interactive whiteboard and want to be able to just easily draw a graph for any purpose, you’ve got to add this to your arsenal.
It’s called the "Living Graph" and it’s very nicely positioned in the category of "thinking tools" by the National Grid for Learning at the Welsh Government website.
One of the challenges when you’re working with graphs is to quickly and accurately draw what you need. Sure, you can plot a graph with your favourite spreadsheet tool or you can rough it with a drawing tool. But, the Living Graph offers even more.
Start by setting the parameters for the graph space that you’re working with….
The first Living Graph gives you an x-y grid with the parameters you specify and a horizontal y=0 line. Simple enough.
Now, it’s just a matter of grabbing a point from the x-axis and moving it into place. Point by point, just repeat until you get the desired results.
It’s a quick way to demonstrate or show a plot to the class. It would be even more effective to have students show off their own learning by demonstrating their own solution to problems.
This is a definite keeper for mathematics, science, economics, or anywhere you’re into graphs!
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The content of this blog is generated by whatever strikes my fancy at any given point. It might be computers, weather, political, or something else in nature. I experiment and comment a lot on things so don't take anything here too seriously; I might change my mind a day later but what you read is my thought and opinion at the time I wrote it! My formal education includes a Bachelor of Mathematics degree from the University of Waterloo and a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Toronto. Ontario Ministry of Education and Training qualifications are in Data Processing, Computer Science, Accounting, and Mathematics. My personal website is at: http://www.dougpeterson.ca Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/dougpete I'm bookmarking things at: http://www.delicious.com/dougpete
