## On the Job Training: Using GeoGebra in Teaching Math

For the last several years, our Institute has been accepting on the job trainees from nearby universities. These trainees are undergraduate students taking up bachelor’s degree in education. As for our group, we are accepting students who are taking education major in mathematics.

This year, we have accepted two students who are on their third year of university studies. I have been handling them already for three weeks of their 6-week course. In this post and the next several posts, I will be sharing our activities during the training.

During our first meeting, the two students shared that they wanted to deepen their understanding on content and strategies in teaching mathematics. Since my specialization is on the use of technology, I have designed their training with the focus of integrating technology in teaching mathematics. This includes familiarization with various theoretical frameworks used in teaching mathematics using technology, using a software in creating teaching and learning materials, and developing lessons with technology integration. Once a week, we also discuss key content topics in high school mathematics and various ways to teach them.

At the end of the training, the students are expected to develop applets and lessons using GeoGebra. They will implement the lessons with me and my colleagues as audience. After the implementation of the lesson, we will comment on how the lessons can be improved.  Their last task is to revise the lesson. Their major output is a lesson plan.

For those who are not familiar with GeoGebra, it is free software that can be used for teaching and learning mathematics. You can download it here and there are various tutorials on learning the software here. GeoGebra is available on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android operating systems.  You can use it on laptops, tablets, and mobile phones.

## Helpful Resources in Learning Latex

I am being serious of using Latex to the point that I’m going to use it to create our next booklet at work and in my next presentations, so I began learning about it a few months ago. In this post, I’m going to share with you the resources that I have been using in learning it which I found extremely helpful. For those who have not heard about Latex yet, it is a typesetting system that can be used for creating professional and technical documents. Most mathematicians use Latex in publishing their research papers. The image below shows a Latex code and its output.

Click image for full view (via Wikipedia)

To create equations like

$x = \dfrac{-b \pm \sqrt{b^2-4ac}}{2a}$

on websites or blogs, you need to have some basic knowledge about Latex codes for mathematical expressions.

To create Latex documents, you need two things:

1. An editor where you will type your code
2. A distribution (compiler) which turns the code into a readable document

For the editor, I use Texmaker because it is both available for Windows and MacOS. I use Windows at work, while may personal laptop is a Mac.  For the distribution, I recommend using Miktex for Windows or Mactex for Mac. Texmaker, Miktex, and Mactex are all free software!

Learning Latex

For learning the basics of Latex, I highly recommend Michelle Krummel’s tutorials on Youtube. Honestly, you only need these tutorials for learning the basics. The tutorials include creating and formatting simple documents, typing mathematical expressions, using packages and macros. There is also a tutorial on creating Beamer presentations. We will talk about Beamer in another post.

Other tutorials can be found on Overleaf’s Documentation page. Overleaf is an online and collaborative Latex editor. I have used it for a few days but I preferred TexMaker.

You only need those two resources to learn the very basics of Latex. I strongly suggest that you finish Michelle Krummel’s tutorials first.

## Compass and Straightedge Construction Using GeoGebra

In Geometry, the term construction refers to the ‘drawing’ of geometric objects such as lines and circles with only the use of compass and straightedge. Construction does not allow measurement of both lengths and angles. The earliest study of Geometry, particularly parts of Euclid’s Elements focused on “building” Geometry based on compass and straightedge construction. In the following discussion, we will refer to compass and straightedge construction as simply construction.

Compass and Straightedge

Using dynamic geometry software (DGS), we can extend construction to computers, tablets, and mobile phones. In this post, we will learn how to use GeoGebra to mimic construction. For those who do not know about GeoGebra yet, it is a free multi-platform mathematics software (not just a DGS) that can be used for teaching and learning mathematics. You may download it here and if you want to learn about it extensively, I have created numerous tutorials on how to use it here» Read more

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