Math made digital: EquatIO is here!

At Texthelp we’re about much more than literacy. I would like to introduce EquatIO, our easy-to-use Chrome extension that takes the hassle out of creating equations, formulas and math quizzes on your computer or Chromebook.

The tech-enabled classroom is here, and today’s students are often more likely to pick up their Chromebooks than pen and paper to complete an assignment. So isn’t it something of a surprise to find that math and STEM subjects have been left behind?

It’s still common to see math teachers carrying piles of paper worksheets between classes, or laboriously copying written answers and test scores into a Student Information System. What’s more, many students have been left struggling without the personalized support and resources they take for granted in other subjects.

Despite efforts to introduce technology into math classes, teachers and students find it tricky writing equations, formulas and other expressions on a computer or mobile device. Even writing a basic fraction like ‘three quarters’ (¾) with your keyboard isn’t easy. And what about square root signs, fractions, powers - or other mathematical symbols and expressions?

There are various mathematical description languages out there - like LaTeX - that teachers and students can use to write digital math. But you have to think like a programmer, with hard-to-remember codes and key combinations to write something relatively easy like the solution to a quadratic equation:

x=\frac{-b\pm\sqrt{b^2-4ac}}{2a}

This lack of a simple way to insert math expressions challenges teachers and students at all levels, and across the whole range of STEM subjects. Rather than enhancing learning and improving communication between teachers and students, technology has created additional barriers in the math classroom. Until now.

Now we can make math digital with EquatIO. Launched today, our new Chrome extension takes the pain out of creating equations, formulas, and math quizzes. Designed around UDL principles, it’s a natural complement to our other literacy products that help young people and adults read, write and express themselves more confidently. 

Input’s easy: you don’t need to know any complicated math code. EquatIO understands what you’re typing or handwriting, instantly turning your expressions into clear, accurate on-screen formulas. And it works on Windows, Mac and Chromebook, so it’s great for BYOD classrooms.

EquatIO boosts classroom collaboration, allowing teachers and students to type, handwrite or dictate virtually any mathematical expression directly on their keyboard or touchscreen - quickly and confidently. It’s your smart assistant, with intuitive prediction realizing that you mean ‘square root’ when you type ‘sq’. And it’s clever enough to ignore your ‘umms’ and ‘errs’ when you’re dictating a formula aloud.

Much more than a replacement for pen and paper, EquatIO makes math and STEM more accessible in today’s classrooms - finally giving them the boost that technology has already given other classroom subjects.

You can try EquatIO for free at the Chrome Store. After 30 days, use of premium features requires a license. Give it a go today – and see how we’re making math digital.