Design of a Mobile App to Promote Understanding and Fluency in Finding the Equation of a Line

Abstract

This paper focuses on the design of a mobile app called Pick or Fish that fosters comprehension and mastery of the concepts of slopes, y-intercepts and equations of lines. The app's pedagogical value lies in its potential to help students understand and become proficient in these concepts. The app is suitable for use on low-cost mobile devices. It functions within an engaging game-like setting featuring visual elements that enable students to see the effect of parameter changes on the direction of a line. The beginner and advanced levels of the app have scaffolding features that gradually introduce the students to the key aspects of linear functions. The mechanics of the app, its pedagogical basis and how integration in the classroom may be achieved as teachers plan the lesson, facilitate open-ended discussion and encourage independent use of the app are also discussed.