Spreadsheets and Databases

I came across this wonderful website and I cannot believe all the ways that it gives you to use spreadsheets; www.belmar.k12.nj.us/public/everyday_spreadsheets/.

Spreadsheets give you the easiness of editing, organized, inputting data, using charts and producing professional reports.  I was like a kid in a candy store going through the different types of ways that a spreadsheet can be used in a classroom.  One thing that stuck out to me most was the example that they used to teach students how to read spreadsheets, the game battleship.  Who would have ever thought that game could help show children to use a spreadsheet?  It teaches the students how to go to the cells and what it means when you go to different cells and different columns.  Another thing that I loved was a spreadsheet of the homework schedule to send home to parents.  I think that is an awesome way to show organization and a good way to keep your students on track.  Some other really neat ways to use spreadsheets in the classroom is; lesson plans, class schedules (lunch and break times), grades, scope and sequence, attendance, and a calendar.  Another good use to spreadsheets is to actually let the students use spreadsheets for there lessons, they have some really neat ideas on the website such as the whole class keeping track or basketball teams averages, total scores and percentages. I will definitely be using spreadsheets in my classroom when I become a teacher.  I think they will help me be more organized and keep up my classroom.

Database is software that some teachers use.  Most teachers don’t use it because it may be a little bit more complicated or time consuming.  I like the fact of using a database because it helps you to organize data, sort information alphabetically or numerically, search for information, create reports or summaries and merge with word processing documents.  I think one really good way to use a database is to keep track of students addresses and a way to contact there parents when sending letters.  Students can also use databases to keep track of items they learn in class.  They will be able to pull up the items easily and file information by categories. 

Spreadsheets and databases are something that I really want to have knowledge of.  By the research that I have done, I can really see that these two tools will benefit me tremendously when I become a teacher.  They will also be a tool in showing my students how technology is important in life and if they use it in the right way it will help enrich there learning experience.