If I were Desmos, I’m not sure how I would feel about this development. Mostly because I think it is potentially huge. And they’ve made their mark on developing the best online math application anywhere around.
So, what happens when an ELA teacher looks to you and decides that your platform is better than anything they have available to them and simply isn’t bothered by the fact that it’s a math app?
Well, naturally, that teacher makes an ELA lesson. And then Desmos becomes an ELA application.
I’m not the first person to think this. I have to credit Julie Reulbach for my first exposure to this idea. But, I’d like to submit for consideration a custom Desmos activity I call “The Letter K” inspired by my kindergarten son’s handwriting. (If you want your kindergartener to play, you can see the class code. Go to student.desmos.com and enter “JCFES”.)
This isn’t a stretch. It’s very, very doable. So much so, that in a position like mine, it’s time to stop talk about “this great math app that I know of” and start talking about “this awesome platform I know for building great teaching-and-learning activities.”
Because that’s what it is.
Mr. Shauver - Learner Educator 