Graphing Tools for Teachers

By Pamela Stevens

The Geometer’s Sketchpad Version 4

The Geometer’s Sketchpad can create dynamic images, reports or portfolios. It can also be used to construct fractals, geometric art and perspective drawings.

The image below was constructed using Geometer Sketchpad –

Sketchpad Tools can:

• Construct Euclidean drawings
• Construct translations, reflections, rotations, dilations, and iterations by fixed, computed and dynamic quantities
• Plot functions and work in rectangular or polar coordinate systems
• Calculate and plot derivatives of functions, graphically and symbolically
• Create animations of sine waves and other trigonometric identities
• Set custom keys to perform complex preset functions

Since this product is complex, it comes with an over 250 page user manual, inter–program help, online resources and step–by–step instructions. They even offer summer institutes in the Bay Area to help teachers learn how to use their products or custom workshops at any location.

The Geometer’s Sketchpad is compatible with either Windows or Macintosh and is offered by Key Curriculum Press.

This high–end product can construct anything but costs nearly $120 and requires dedication and time to learn how to use all of its abilities.

GEUP2

This product can create dynamic and general geometric constructions and is applicable to Euclidian, analytical, transformational geometry.

This product can construct lines, circles, polygons and so on as well as perform transformations and work with Cartesian and polar coordinates. It can apply animations and can change scale. For a $29 product, it can do quite a few things and they offer a free trial download.

Here is a sample of what can be done with this product:

This product is a more simple product than Geometer’s Sketchpad but costs nearly $90 less and may be a better choice for teachers that are on a tight budget.

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