Before this class, I had little experience with Excel. I have used Excel in several simple applications, but generally use Microsoft Word when creating a simple table. I was aware of how to use Excel to create tables, but I had no idea how to use formulas and calculations in an Excel spreadsheet.
I think it is very important to introduce students to productivity software such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint early. Students are expected to be proficient with these programs now with no formal training, so it is important for us as their regular classroom teachers to expose students to these programs in various applications.
I found a site online from the Sabine Parish School System in Louisiana that lists several resources for teachers using Microsoft Excel at different grade levels. Among the many useful websites listed was this website from the Franklin Institute detailing some different ways to integrate Excel into the classroom. According to the Franklin Institute, "the instant creation of graphs and charts from spreadsheets in various styles reduces the tedium of drawing and coloring and lets us get right to the exercise of selecting, interpreting and querying data". Although I think it's necessary for students to learn to graph by hand, it is helpful for them to learn how to apply these mathematical concepts on paper as well as using software.
Another of the ideas I found on the Sabine Parish School System website was a lesson plan using a virtual lemonade stand. The children collect all the data needed to sell their lemonade and then plug it into excel. This idea would be cool to use for a class fundraiser. The students could organize a bake sale and use excel to track all their expenses and profits.
The use of software in the classroom results in basically endless possibilities and is now not only a way to add fun and variety to the classroom but is necessary to prepare students for the real world.
There are so many resources available to teachers on the Internet.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing.