|
 Phil
Smith, Head of Maths, Dr Challoner's High School, (2009)
writes: |
- We received a 2009 Good Schools Guide for A-level
Maths and Autograph played no small part (feel free
to quote on your literature).
|
|
A
Teacher on the MEI TAM Course (2009) writes: |
- Autograph
- A must have for every Maths classroom from KS3 to
KS5.
- As a visual learner it has been a
godsend and my
pupils have said I have become more enthusiastic and
my lessons more engaging since using the software package.
- Excellent
graphing package that can sketch curves, solve derivatives,
perform a host of geometric and statistical analysis
visually – it makes me wonder
how I ever lived without it!
- Excellent to use for 1-1
tutoring and whole class via the IWB
- Can’t imagine
teaching A’ Level maths without
it – A true gift from the maths gods.
|
 |
The
ATM's bi-monthly 'Mathematics Teaching' (March 2006)writes: |
Ruth
Tanner, Lodge Park Technology College, Corby
.. the latest version of Autograph, 3.10: the superb
dynamic software for teaching calculus, coordinate geometry,
statistics and probability, without which I cannot now
imagine teaching mathematics and especially A level.
|
 |
The
Schoolzone evaluation service writes: |
Autograph
Schoolzone Full Evaluation (December
2005)
Valerie Ann Sheehan
This
is a most impressive package, which in my view
completely fulfils expectations. It utilises
the power of the computer to motivate students to
gain a deeper understanding of the material than
they would through traditional teaching methods.
The resources facilitate
whole class teaching using the Flash demonstrations,
or investigation using the simulation and animation facilities.
Colleagues are enthusiastic about the potential for this
software to produce high quality reports of Mathematics
and Statistics projects for GCSE, A-level and beyond.
Graphs and tables can be easily transported into word
documents. Students can perceive uses for this software
in many other subject areas.
|
 |
The
Guardian's Evaluate service writes: |
| Autograph can be used for drawing
statistical graphs, functions, and vectors, and for transforming shapes.
It also enables users to change and animate graphs, shapes or vectors already
plotted to encourage understanding of concepts. The program uses colour
and animation well and provides excellent help for teachers on using the
huge variety of functions. Teachers will need to familiarise themselves
thoroughly with the software before using it in the classroom. There they
can use the program on a single screen or interactive whiteboard to introduce
and demonstrate mathematical ideas at KS3, KS4 and KS5. Students can use
it to produce their own graphs and transform their own objects during a
lesson.I think Autograph will be of tremendous use in aiding students’ understanding
of a variety of shape, algebra and statistical topics. I expect my KS4
students will understand concepts introduced with Autograph quickly and
in more depth than they would through traditional teaching methods. |
TEEM
Evaluations
of Autograph
TEEM (UK) Home page
|
teem writes: |
1st
Autograph TEEM evaluation (Sept
2002)
UK KS 3 (Peter Garner):
"The product is a very versatile, easy to use Mathematics tool that enables
the student to gain deeper insight into some otherwise quite challenging Mathematics"
2nd
Autograph TEEM evaluation (Nov 2002)
UK KS 4 (Beth Evans):
"This package is an extremely practical and useful mathematical tool and
is an essential part of any Maths teacher's kit. The section on Statistics is
thorough and covers a wide range of material. I could see many uses for Autograph
at Sixth Form level"
3rd
Autograph TEEM evaluation (Jan 2003)
UK KS 4 Statistics (Val Brooks):
"Without doubt, purchase of Autograph should be included in a Maths department
budget. After some initial difficulties with the Statistics interface, it was
possible to contact the author of the software and he sorted all our problems
out within 24 hours - this level of support was fantastic!"
4th
Autograph TEEM evaluation (March 2003)
UK KS 3 Graphs, Coord. Geom., Statistics (Steve Genge):
"Autograph is a flexible tool designed to support teaching and learning
in Graphs and Statistics. It is a massive piece of software with
applications across all areas of Mathematics at all Key Stages. Pupils of all
ages and abilities can access Autograph because of its clever use of
toolbars and drop-down menus. Autograph is supported by valuable Help
pages and the publisher's website. It is an excellent
package for all schools."
5th
Autograph TEEM evaluation (October
2005)
Content Evaluation Summary (Beth Evans):
'A must for every Maths department, this is a tried and true workhorse but with
the power of a racehorse. I loved the new extra pages which gave some excellent
introductions to trigonometry. The transformation animations allow students
to watch as reflections, rotations and enlargements take place, but even better,
students can then use the same techniques to enable them to understand how these
basic transformations can be combined. The power of this package will take your
students through to end of A Level Further Maths.' |
Edexcel Examiners' Report
A level Statistics:
S3 Coursework (June 2003)
|
The
Statistics Examiner writes: |
"...
coursework ... histograms ... scatter diagrams ...
A number of centres are using Autograph which
seems to produce good diagrams."
|
|
Peter
Ransom writes: |
"I have
always enjoyed working with Autograph, and version
2.10. is no exception. "It is possible to run this in a junior
mode for use with KS3, to avoid any distractions. The data
handling section is most enjoyable.
"The CD Rom comes with a booklet of 45 Exercises which
are just right for becoming familiar with the Software. " The Reference
Manual is very informative. Further worksheets, resources and upgrades
are available on the web-site." |
3-day residential workshop
at Michaelhouse School, KZN, South Africa 28-20 Sept 2003
|
Paul
de Wet writes: |
Autograph is
the world’s best curve sketching software for schools.
Simple and intuitive, it is extremely powerful in illustrating all aspects
of our algebra syllabus (and way beyond!). Autograph is
able to solve sketch curves (both implicitly and explicitly defined)
solve simultaneous equations, plot derivatives etc. etc. etc. We are
very fortunate to have Douglas Butler, the author of
Autograph as our keynote speaker. Douglas will conduct workshop sessions
around the effective use of this magnificent teaching tool. |
The Newsletter from 'The Education Project Asia',
serving International schools in the Far East.
|
Paul
de Wet writes: |
"Occasionally some
software comes along that is known as 'killer software' ....
well a number of Maths teachers have said to me in the past that
Autograph is one such package for teaching and learning mathematics."
Chris Smith, Editor, 'Shambles' Newsletter
(Thailand)
May
2003 edition (Mathematics section) |
The
Scottish Mathematics Council
Journal 31 (May 2002)
|
TOM
MACINTYRE wrote: |
"Data from web resources can readily be pasted into desktop packages
and onward into Autograph, which showed its real pace in being
able to analyse a variety of data sets in a cross-curricular exercise on city
sizes."
"A general modelling equation can be entered, and the 'right-click'
option 'best fit to data' can find the constants. This task provided an excellent
focus to explore the capabilities of Autograph . . in conjunction with
a data projector"
" . . certainly well worth considering" |
Mathematical
Association
MA News (February 2002)
|
PETER
RANSOM wrote: |
"Autograph is
a tried and trusted piece of software .. of
great use in the classroom. Very user-friendly and
great value for money"
A2 Student:
"The zoom-in capabilities of Autograph are amazing .. the
diagrams I included in my coursework were all done on Autograph and
my work looked almost like a professional report!" |
TES
ONLINE section
London, 6th April 2001 - text
|
PETER
RANSOM wrote: |
"Autograph is
a tried and trusted piece of software .. of
great use in the classroom. Very user-friendly and
great value for money"
A2 Student:
"The zoom-in capabilities of Autograph are amazing .. the
diagrams I included in my coursework were all done on Autograph and
my work looked almost like a professional report!" |
Mathematical
Association
MA News (February 2002)
|
IAN
WILSON wrote: "a landmark for mathematics teachers
. ." |
". . flexible,
multi-level and a doddle to use"
". . Autograph: it's signature software for the subject"
". . worksheets, images, web pages - excellent resources"
". . Autograph: so comprehensive you'll
wonder what it can't do"
". . I have seldom enjoyed experimenting with a program so much"
". . the choice . . is typical of the program's thoroughness"
Autograph: firmly in Ian Wilson's Top 10 (OnLine 7th Sept 2001) |
ATM
Micromath Magazine
Derby, Spring 2001
|
JOE
WATSON wrote: |
". . impressive by any standards . .
Autograph has a multiplicity of features . . and
a lot of thought has gone to make it easy to use."
". . the Screencam demos include some particularly nice exercises, . . and
give you the incentive to explore more"
". . one-line text: xxx => x³;
y= x²e^(–½x²) can copy/paste
. . "
". . investigating y" +2ly'+ y = 0 as l varies . ."
". . my enthusiasm increased as I used the package more . . "
|
LTSN:
Maths, Stats OR
Birmingham,November
2000
|
PAUL
STRICKLAND wrote: |
". . The
main way that Autograph is superior to other
packages with graphical capabilities is in its use
of natural Windows techniques such as selection, dragging
and right-click menus to control the exploration of
mathematical concepts, enabling rapid mastery of the
package"
". . care has been taken to get mathematical
details right, as in the proper distinction between
histograms of discrete and continuous data. |
AAMT
(Adelaide)
Vol: 56/4 and 57/1
|
HARTLEY
HYDE wrote, running Autograph in his iMAC: |
". . Autograph
is a new, 'must-have' graphing package"
". . the most popular aspects of Autograph are its calculus tools"
". . works fine on my MAC under Virtual PC"
". . Autograph copes with about 90% of the
work in years 10-12"
". . the family of Tridents, xy = x³ – a³. In other
packages I usually get defeated by the insistence on 'y=..' input" |
Educational Computing & Technology
May
2001
|
CHRIS
DRAGE wrote: |
" . . Autograph
is designed to help teachers and pupils to visualise mathematics
by drawing dynamically linked co-ordinate geometry,
probability and statistics ?objects'."
" . . Autograph is an essential tool for
secondary and college maths departments." |
SUNDAY TIMES
OF INDIA
reporting a British Council lecture
in Mumbai,
4th
March 2001
|
SHABNAM
MINWALLA wrote: |
". . Douglas
Butler's theory of sparkling
mathematics holds that
a judicious mix of enthusiasm and technology works
wonders"
". . and if the packed hall was any indication,
the de-gobbledy-gookisation of mathematics is a sorely
felt need" |
|
| |
User Comments:
Bill Newell, Mathematics Teacher. Just
completed a series of lessons basic calculus and its connection
with gradient and area. I teach differentiation in the initial stages as
a process and integration as its inverse operation. I demonstrate
the gradient / area connections using graphical methods. Autograph
is a simply brilliant complement to this approach. I call it
Calculus without Limits.
When the time comes to bite the bullet and generalise using limits,
Autograph comes into its own. I've had students watching secants approach
tangents, carving area under curves into rectangles and volumes
of revolution into cylinders.
Responses vary from: "That's sooo = cool!" to "I get that
now!!" which is what all teachers want to hear.
Bill Newell, Mathematics Teacher. I
taught for many years in the New South Wales state system and now operate
a one-man tutoring business for high school and tertiary students. I spent
many hours on the internet searching for a decent graphing program; something
that wasn't just bells and whistles. The day I downloaded Autograph I realised
I had something special. Just a few days into the thirty day trial I ordered
the CDs from a distributor in South Australia and have been amazed ever since. Finally
a program
for teachers and students written by teachers who obviously know exactly
what is required to make an often difficult and unpopular discipline more
palatable.
What attracted me initially was the potential Autograph has for the teaching
of calculus. No longer need kids imagine a point sliding along a curve, they
can actually see and control it themselves. Area and volume are so easily
and clearly demonstrated you wonder how we managed before your program arrived
on the scene. I was also most impressed with the control over axes and grid
offered. Many American graphing programs ignore this aspect.
I could rave on for hours about the wonders of Autograph: the stats features
so convenient for setting exercises in organising and displaying data; circle
geometry made easy; inverse functions at the click of a mouse.
I have contacted several mates in the trade to recommend Autograph for their
schools. I tell them I believe every maths department in Australia should
obtain Autograph. I honestly believe it will change the way people approach
their teaching of mathematics and very much for the better.
Thank you to you and your programmers for a job brilliantly done. Good luck
with future versions.
Victoria A. Best, Mathematics Teacher. [Full
testimonial as Word document]. "I was introduced to the Autograph
program as a student teacher and I instantly recognized its uses and advantages
in a mathematics classroom. I have used it countless times as a teacher
to provide a visual anchor for numerous topics in the high school mathematics
curriculum.
"Its versatility provides students and teachers with
many opportunities to instantly change graphs parameters that allow students
to immediately prove and support their conjectures. Autograph also creates
excellent graphs that copy and paste beautifully into tests or assignments.
The Autograph software is incredibly user and student
friendly. During the two day lab activity I learned more from my students
than I had taught myself! They felt so empowered by the software that they
enjoyed “playing” with
it. I had students that created boxes using planes and then placing spheres
and ellipses inside those boxes so that the only way you can see the sphere
or ellipse was to use the zoom option that allows you to pass through the
objects.
"The other option that I used in my classroom was the
confidence interval simulation. This is a topic that students find very difficult
and once again Autograph allowed my to add a quick visualization that concreted
the topic for most students."
Ron Lancaster, Mathematics Educator,
Toronto. "Autograph is one of the very best pieces of software
on the market. The
software is incredibly easy to use and produces dynamic results that are
stunningly beautiful. Autograph can be used to support the teaching
of most high school topics including coordinate geometry, conics, vectors,
3-D graphing, statistics, curve fitting, probability, calculus and discrete
mathematics"
Profiled Autograph User:
John Page - "Using Autograph is as Easy as Pi" says John
Date of Birth: 27 November 1994
Living: Felixstowe in Suffolk
At school: Bucklesham Primary School, Suffolk
John is currently in year 6 at Bucklesham Primary School, a village
school with about 100 students between Ipswich and Felixstowe in Suffolk. It's
a school where the children work hard and where they are always busy and
happy. The school gets excellent results.
Outside school, John has always had an interest in Maths as a hobby. Every
day for 4 years, including birthdays and Christmas Day(!) John gave 30
minutes of his time to get further in maths, attending the nationally known
Kumon scheme which has about 48,000 students in the UK. John reached
10th nationally in his age group before swapping to the standard GCSE course,
again in his own time.
When John came to study the GCSE course, his tutors suggested Autograph software
as the best to help him succeed. "Using Autograph is as easy
as Pi",
says John. John
will be taking his Higher Level GCSE in the summer of 2006. John's
father has bought him a £20 + vat Student Licence so Autograph can assist
his studies at home.
In leisure time, John is a keen and committed sailor and crews for one of
the top sailors, in the National Cadet Squadron. John loves football
and is a keen Manchester United and England supporter. His idol is
Wayne Rooney.
John has a younger brother Alex and gets a lot of support from Dad (Steve),
Mum (Sally) and Auntie Jenny.