Getting Started with GeoGebra by Libo Valencia

Leo Valencia begins the session by introducing himself as a secondary math teacher with a passion for the classroom, despite holding a Masters in Pure Mathematics and Administration. He engages the class with a 'same but different' activity using Star Wars characters, aiming to foster group discussion and critical thinking. Leo highlights the importance of this activity as an icebreaker and a way to encourage student interaction, mentioning that it can also be used to revisit previous lessons or introduce new concepts.

Leo shares his teaching experience, spanning 15-50 years, and his active presence on social media platforms like Twitter and YouTube under the handle 'Mr. Valencia 24'. He discusses his teaching philosophy, emphasizing the use of technology to enhance learning. Leo is a GE Ambassador, having consulted for GeoGebra and used it extensively in his teaching across various math subjects and levels. He encourages teachers to create GeoGebra accounts for easy access to free educational resources and to organize teaching materials.

The session walks through the process of creating a GeoGebra account, emphasizing its benefits such as saving and organizing resources. Leo demonstrates how to sign up using different platforms like Google, Microsoft, or an email account. He shows how to customize the profile and create folders to organize resources, which can save time and improve lesson planning.

Leo introduces GeoGebra Classic as a user-friendly graphing calculator and encourages its use for teaching various mathematical concepts. He demonstrates how to graph equations, change colors, and manipulate inequalities. He also mentions the GeoGebra app, allowing students to use the tool on their phones, which can be particularly helpful for those without graphing calculators.

Leo shares examples of how he uses GeoGebra in his classes, such as having students prove geometric properties by uploading and analyzing their own photographs. He discusses the assignment where students take pictures of right triangles, upload them to GeoGebra, and then demonstrate the properties of the triangles using different mathematical methods. This approach aims to make math more engaging and relatable for students.

The paragraph discusses how Leo finds GeoGebra resources, particularly those that help visualize mathematical concepts. He shares an example of an applet that demonstrates optimization problems, showing the relationship between material, volume, and the maximum volume point. Leo emphasizes the importance of these resources in helping students understand complex mathematical ideas.

Leo describes an interactive game he conducted in class using GeoGebra, where students played a version of Battleship using polar coordinates. This activity helped students practice and understand polar coordinates in a fun and competitive way. He credits Daniel, another GeoGebra user, with creating the applet and mentions how such activities can significantly enhance student engagement.

In this segment, Leo addresses the importance of encouraging questions in the classroom. He reflects on his experience using GeoGebra and other technologies in teaching, emphasizing that he mostly adapts existing resources rather than creating his own applets. He also mentions his YouTube channel, 'Mr. Valencia 24', where he shares tutorials and materials to help students and teachers get started with GeoGebra.

Leo talks about the potential for students to create their own GeoGebra applets, although he admits he has not personally assigned such projects. He mentions that computer science teachers at his school have students create 3D models and use augmented reality features in GeoGebra. Leo expresses interest in the potential for student creativity with GeoGebra and the possibility of organizing competitions to encourage this.