Online Learning Management Systems and Homework in the Classroom

Many schools use online learning management systems for homework and class material. They make it easier for teachers to have all notes, assignments, and quizzes in one place. However, since the pandemic moved classes online, homework has also moved online. Through the LMS and online homework system, class data is at the teacher's fingertips. For me, that begs the question, are students better off with online homework?

There are many different LMSs and homework systems, so teachers and school districts may stuggle picking out the one they think would be the best for their class. The homework system could vary from class to class even. For example, my high school math teachers use DeltaMath for Algebra I, II, and Geometry, but use Webassign for Precalculus and Calculus. My school also uses Google Classroom as the LMS, but other schools use different ones like Microsoft Teams and Canvas. 

However, almost every teacher did homework differently, even if they use the same LMS and homework system. One Geometry teacher leaves the homework completely online while another one asks their students to write out some of their solutions to turn in for points. In the upper-level classes, teachers will give both online assignments and assign problems from the textbook to make sure students understand the process of those problems. 

Isn't that the point of homework? If we, as teachers, just have our students do their homework online, we risk them just plugging their numbers into a calculator and not trying the process. Students will even do this for the written assignments, but it is less likely because they need to show their work. If teachers want their students to understand the solution process, they should have them do at least some problems on paper. If a blend of online homework and paper homework is possible, that could be a good idea because technology is readily available for the most part. 

We need to ensure that students are successful, and even the way homework is turned in can impact learning greatly. Therefore, we should assess whether or not online homework works for students and their understanding. This could even differ between classes, but students should be allowed to write their homework on paper. Even if they look up their answers, at least they can practice their handwriting.

Does Group Board Work work?

Whiteboards in my opinion are amazing for doing problems. I myself carry multiple mini whiteboards that I’ve gotten from Amazon and have handed out many to my peers. These whiteboards were great tools when doing math homework or even other classwork. Whiteboards made it easy to fix small mistakes versus having the annoying smudge marks on paper when you make a small error. Coming to SDSU, at the AME building, even the walls are whiteboards! Many professors put students in groups and send them to the board to solve problems. Did learning from group board work help students learn?

Group board work is a great way for students to communicate and problem-solve as a group. As some students struggle, they may glance at other groups’ boards to see what they are doing wrong and learn from the mistakes that they could’ve been making. There are many times when students do a worksheet for the day during the class period and later it is assigned as homework if it is not completed during the class time given. Giving students a worksheet for the day has many ways of doing more harm than good. From my experience when teachers did this, only a small amount of the class would take the work time wisely while the majority would get distracted with their peers and do other things to avoid doing the worksheet. Thus, the students that didn’t do the worksheet in class typically didn’t do it as homework either and would fall further behind in material. Pushing toward group board work keeps students busy and engaged in the material.

You may be thinking, “What if I prefer to work alone?” I’ll be honest, I definitely preferred to work alone on assignments. Whether it’s just what you prefer or if it’s because you had to pull the weight of your group members, working in a group would help prepare students for the future. Tons of jobs require communication with other people to get things done. Note, when doing board work, it’s easier for teachers to see who’s engaged and who isn’t because not everyone is at their desks. This improves the chances of everyone taking part in the problem on the board.

I have done some board work in the past, both in K-12 and in college. From what I have seen, many students and I have benefited from it. I would see what others did, right or wrong, and learn from it. Many times, the teacher would have group members alternate who had the marker, which helped make sure everyone was included. If some groups are confused about a problem, they reached out to other groups for help.

As Frank Oppenheimer once said, “The best way to learn is to teach, the best way to teach is to keep learning.” Students can teach their classmates, and students can learn from each other’s mistakes.

I’ve listed great things group board work provides, however, there are still areas that we as teachers or future educators would have to account for. What happens if only one person does the work even if they don’t have the marker in hand? How could we make sure each person is involved the whole time? How could we eliminate the common distractions for students to be engaged? How could we prevent students from doodling on the board?

To close, I firmly believe that having students do group board work would improve learning, student engagement, and communication skills. This provides a way for the teacher to keep their students active and productive. It allows problem-solving among students by having them demonstrate their knowledge to others. Also, who doesn’t like writing on the board?

The Power of Desmos

Technology has changed the way we teach and learn mathematics. We as educators are not restricted to just using pencil and paper anymore because of the wide variety of new technologies that have been developed. These technologies allow us to graph functions that would be impossible to graph by hand, create interactive activities for students to complete, and so many more things. One major player in the development of math technology is Desmos. The power of Desmos is unmatched, and the opportunities are endless.

 

One major function of Desmos, which is probably the most used function, is graphing. Desmos allows you to graph pretty much any function you can think of, including trig functions, exponentials, circles, conic sections, polar and parametric equations, and more. Desmos also has a section on statistics, where it is able to graph things such as linear regression and histograms. In addition to just graphing equations, Desmos is able to plot lists of points. Desmos can be a very beneficial tool in Calculus due to its graphing power. Desmos allows you to graph the original function and the derivative on the same screen, along with graphing tangent and secant lines. 

 

Another great tool of Desmos is its ability to do calculations. Desmos is able to do simple computations like addition and multiplication and more complex computations like trig functions and integrals. Desmos has a whole section for statistics calculations that includes standard deviation, normal distribution, cdf, and pdf, and all the other calculations involved in statistics. It can do combinations and permutations, as well as midpoint and distance calculations. Desmos can solve almost any integral.

 

One of the best features for educators is Desmos Activity Builder. In Math 371, we are using Desmos Activity Builder to make custom activities. This feature allows educators to search for and use activities other educators have created or create their own activities based on what they are teaching. When creating these activities, there are so many options for educators to use, such as multiple-choice questions, free responses, graphing, card sort, and the list goes on. I think these activities are so useful because they can be a great way to supplement your lesson. Another great feature is that educators can make their activity as simple or complicated as they would like. Desmos Activity Builder allows educators to add a computational layer. Some educators have some really cool and interactive projects on Desmos Classroom that involve the computational layer.

 

Due to all the features Desmos has, I believe that it is one of the most powerful and useful pieces of technology for math educators to use. It has the ability to do so many things that relate to almost any math class you could think of. I think that every math educator should be using Desmos in their classroom.