Week Two

This week’s module covered the use of spreadsheets and databases in the classroom setting. Educators are using both of these tools in a variety of ways in their classrooms. Here are two websites that discuss the educational use of spreadsheets and/or databases in the classroom:

http://www.classroomtech.org/integration/50ways.htm

http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/mathchat/mathchat025.shtml

I was surprised to discover that students in elementary grades are using spreadsheets, including grades 3-5. They are expected to become familiar with technological tools such as dynamic geometry software and spreadsheets and should learn to set up a simple spreadsheet to pose and solve problems, examine data, and investigate patterns. This was surprising to me because many higher-level students cannot even perform this difficult of a task, much less an elementary student. It is easier to understand how spreadsheets can be utilized in a high school mathematics classroom to model functions, use utilities for symbol manipulation, graphing, and curve fitting. However, many elementary teachers are already introducing their students to the use of computer software, including spreadsheets and databases.

Personally, I have used spreadsheets and databases in the past for several things. Microsoft Excel has enabled me to set up a personal financial budget, where I can input my paycheck information and calculate how much money I have to spend in different categories before the next paycheck. I have used Microsoft Access to keep up with contacts and create a database of addresses to mail out mass amounts of letters. The databases are also useful for organizing documents and files. As a first-year teacher, I have not had much opportunity to utilize spreadsheets or databases in the classroom. I have used a spreadsheet to merely track grades and attendance, but I have never used a database for classroom use. I intend to integrate more technology in my classroom, including spreadsheets and databases, not only for personal use, but for student use as well. As an Algebra teacher, there are many ways I can enhance the learning process for my students by incorporating tables, charts, and diagrams in a spreadsheet. Microsoft Excel has various tools for mathematics that will be beneficial to a math teacher when instructing students on the relationship between different functions and graphs. There are a diversity of ways that spreadsheets and databases can be used in any classroom setting, especially in a mathematics classroom.