Excel spreadsheets hold many uses for the teacher both inside and outside the classroom. Within the classroom, spreadsheets can have purpose in an array of different subject areas. For example, in Math, spreadsheets can be used to make graphs and solve equations or in English, the students can compile words for a word search or to complete their vocabulary. In my content area of science, I have used spreadsheets in the classroom with my students to analyze data from an experiment. By putting all of our data into a spreadsheet it helps keep the student organized and reduces the difficulty of plotting the data points and lets the student interpret the data more accurately. Teachers need to focus on the ability of the student to draw conclusions, it is great that the student can produce a spreadsheet and graph, but they need to know what it tells them. Can the student analyze the data and draw conclusions from it so they can tell the class something about it?
There is one way that I noticed that students are using spreadsheets that shocked me, and that was to keep track of their current balance of their checking account. The benefits of using a spreadsheet allow you to keep a list of bills, when they were received, when they were paid, and the exact amount that you paid. You also have the ability to arrange the bills so they are listed by month and by category. Teachers are making this into a year-round project, where students are given an income sheet and a checkbook and then use a spreadsheet to teach them how to live on a budget. I think this is a great "real world" activity that teaches money management skills to students and provide them with knowledge they can use for the rest of their life.
In the past, I have used spreadsheets and databases outside the classroom for my own personal use more than in the classroom with the students. Teachers can use a spreadsheet or a database for a grade book, classroom organization such as seating charts, attendance, missing assignments, or even a student information database. I have also used a spreadsheet to help create different worksheets and activities that involve vocabulary or graphing data points.
Spreadsheets and Databases have a wide variety of uses in the classroom from calculating equations in math or keeping a science weather log. Although there is certain subject areas that may encounter problems trying to incorporate spreadsheets into the curriculum. By incorporating the use of spreadsheets and databases into the classroom it provides a method by which data can be more easily organized and importantly, analyzed. Below is a link to a website that provides great steps for an educator to take to incorporate spreadsheets and databases into their own classroom.
http://atr.k12.hi.us/tutorials/tutorials/data/spreadsheets.html
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