Within the Apps Menu on the left side of your screen, you can access 3 different gadgets to assist you in your learning. We currently have a calculator, periodic table, and a GeoGebra graphing calculator. Please note that these gadgets are only visible to you as a Spaces user, and cannot be seen by the rest of the class when opened.

To learn how these gadgets work, take a look at this short video:

The Calculator Tool is located within the Apps Menu on the left-hand side of your screen, under the "Apps Only Visible To You" category. Represented by a “Calculator” icon, clicking this tool will result in a calculator popping up immediately on the bottom left-hand side of your screen.

Additionally, the calculator can be transformed from a scientific calculator to a basic calculator, and vice versa. To do so, open the calculator tool and click the "fx" button on the upper right side of the calculator.

The calculator can also be moved around the board by dragging and dropping the calculator where you want it to go on your whiteboard. Once you’re done using the calculator, click the “X” tab in the top right corner of the calculator to close it.

The Graphing Calculator Tool is located within the Apps Menus on the left-hand side of your screen, at the bottom of the "Apps Only Visible To You" section. When you click the “Graph” icon, the graphing calculator will appear in a window on the top left-hand side of your screen. From there, the calculator can be moved with the same drag-and-drop method as the calculator and can be expanded using the black triangle in the bottom right of the window.

The Graphing Calculator Tool has four different tabs to explore:

First, the standard “Graphing Calculator” tab is what appears when the calculator is first opened. On this tab, you can type out equations using your keyboard, or the keyboard provided with the Graphing Calculator Tool and view their corresponding equations graphed beside the equation. The equations and graphs are colour-coded so that you can determine the corresponding graphs and equations with ease. Additionally, the “Graphing Calculator” tab gives you the ability to create a table of values and create special points on your graph.

Second, to the right of the “Graphing Calculator” tab is the “Tools” tab. On this tab, you are given a variety of tools to manipulate your graph with, including a tool to create points on the graph, tools to determine the extrema, intersections, and roots, tools to create vectors, a pen tool and more! Use these tools to manipulate and explore different aspects of your graph.

Third, the tab on the far right of the Graphing Calculator Tool is the “Table of Values” tab. This tab displays the table of values that you have created on the “Graphing Calculator” tab. To create the table of values, click on the “3 Dots” icon beside the equation on the “Graphing Calculator” tab and determine the starting, ending, and step values for the x-variable.

From there, the table of values can be edited by clicking the “3 Dots” icon beside the variable that you wish to manipulate. If you wish to delete your table of values, click the “3 Dots” icon beside the “f(x)” variable, and click “Remove column” to delete the table of values for that equation.

The fourth and final tab is opened by clicking the “3 Lines” icon on the top left-hand side of the window. This tab opens up operational actions like printing, exporting, and saving your graph to your computer.

When you’re done with the click the “X” tab in the top right corner of the window to close the graphing calculator.

If you have any further questions on how to use GeoGebra, feel free to visit their help centre: GeoGebra Help Pages.

Located above the GeoGebra Graphing Calculator Tool and the Calculator Tool within the "Apps Only Visible To You" section of the Apps Menu, the Periodic Table Tool can be opened by clicking the “Beaker” icon. The tool opens a Periodic Table that you can reference during your lessons or study sessions. It can also be moved and closed using the same techniques as the Calculator Tool and the Graphing Calculator Tool.

If the tips above don't help you use Pencil's gadgets as you desire, please reach out to our team as soon as possible for additional assistance. Either:

If it's easier, you can also email us directly at [email protected].