ClassPad Corner

This set of 4 individual 'one lesson wonders' focuses on algebraic modelling. One activity focuses on the use of an algebraic model (Australia 's population), another on developing an algebraic model (management of a gas well), another on verifying the appropriateness of an algebraic model (the planets in our solar system) and another on refining an algebraic model (obesity).

This set of 2 individual 'one lesson wonders' focuses on statistics. They focus on shared data, in particular categorical data. They clearly explain how to handle such data using the CP 300's spreadsheet. Data is either supplied (from a lovely data sharing exercise between SA students and students in Belfast ) or are taken from the ABS CensusAtSchool database. Full instructions are supplied.

This set of 2 individual 'one lesson wonders' focuses on data analysis. One activity focuses on analysing a single sample (a student's own reaction times) and another on analysing and comparing a number of samples (cognitive development over the high school years).

This 'one lesson wonder' focuses on modelling a 'growth' situation. Using the spreadsheet on the CP 300 students will model the biological control of the Water Hyacinth.

This set of 2 individual 'one lesson wonders' focus on the use of spreadsheets to model situations. The first, Birthday Pizza, acts as a useful revision of spreadsheet skills. The second then looks at a way to approximate Pi using a simple Monte Carlo method.

This set of 4 individual 'one lesson wonders' focuses on geometry theorems and both inductive and deductive logic. The first focuses on The Chord Theorem, the second on the converse of the first, the third on the 'angle at the centre of a circle' and the last on the 'angle in a semi-circle'. In each activity the students are given full support on how to use the Geometry application on the CP 300 to explore the appropriate constructions.

This set of 3 individual 'one lesson wonders' focuses on regression. The first offers students a lovely introduction to linear regression, complete with a lovely geometric experience of minimising the 'squares'. The next uses a pendulum to generate data for which we would like a model and finally the last lesson looks at 'goodness of fit'. Each lesson offers complete support on how to use the CP 300 to support the learning.

This set of 3 individual 'one lesson wonders' focuses on nifty numbers. The first introduces students to the Golden Ratio. It exploits the ClassPad's ability to perform exact precision arithmetic (that is computed with surds and the like and provide 'exact' results as opposed to decimal approximations). The next lesson looks at Fibonacci and the third Pentagram. The last two lessons exploit the lovely spreadsheet and interactive geometry software of the CP 300.

The first set of 2 individual 'one lesson wonders' focus on introductory Trigonometry. Students use the 'so easy to drive' Geometry application of the CP 300 to explore right-angled triangles and deduce that some ratios are constant.

The last 'one lesson wonder' focuses on modelling seasonal temperature variations using the sine function. Temperature data is supplied from Adelaide, Toronto and Singapore.

This set of 2 individual 'one lesson wonders' focuses on the normal distribution. One activity focuses on an origin of normally distributed data (paver length) and uses a ClassPad spreadsheet simulate the manufacture of these pavers. The other activity uses the ClassPad 300 to answer questions about normal distributions.