Lesson Two Spreadsheets & Databases

From lesson two I was asked to look up websites documenting the use of spreadsheets and databases in the classroom.  I found that these tools are on the rise in usage by teachers for multiple reasons.  Excel is a valuable tool where you can conduct calculations similar in function to graphing calculators.  The majority of students will have some form of Microsoft Office and the calculating functions of excel are excellent tools.  Databases are even less used in the classroom, but are great tools to break down large topics into manageable pieces that students can analyze and infer from to get a better understanding of the big picture based upon the minor details than trying to understand the whole thing.  Many educators are using databases to store student information about behaviors and academic tendencies so they are better prepared with each passing year.  It also helps you understand your students better so you can teach them more effectively.  Several teachers are using spreadsheets as an easy informal gradebook they can quickly update and organize for grades without having to go through the trouble of setting up classes, and detailed information about each assignment. 

   One website I visited was title the Silicon Tower located at http://silicontower.blogspot.com/2010/02/using-spreadsheets-and-databases-in.html.  Contained within this blog was a page devoted to spreadsheets and databases.  The author goes into detail how spreadsheets function and their relative advantages to educators in the classroom.  The author explains how spreadsheets can calculate large quantities of data quickly for both educators and students.  It’s also an easy task of taking analytical data and constructing visual representations of that data in the form of graphs.  One of the surprising things I found out about databases was the relative ease it takes to group and form relationships with data in a way that you can infer and answer questions based upon the data collected.  It groups relevant information as you make categories and if students don’t entire understand a topic you can form a database based upon the principles of that topic and get a better idea of the main point.  This is an organized way to help explain complex subjects to students.  I am also linking to an example website that utilizes databases for gather information and then using spreadsheets to interpret and utilize the information gained from the database construction.  The website is from Matthew Gudenius – Educational Technology Integreation found at  http://gudenius.weebly.com/spreadsheetdb-activities.html

   In the past I have used spreadsheets in a fairly regular basis to discuss mathematical topics dealing with graphing data.  We would collect data together in a group activity and then use the spreadsheet to interpret our data as a bar graph, line, or circle graph.  I have also used spreadsheet to place bell ringers on the board due to the fact you can easily calculate answers to several computations.  I have used spreadsheets when teaching about functions to students by creating function tables.  I have not used databases directly in class instruction but I have used them in creating student information databases that will help teachers for the next school year when they have my students.  I could see using databases would be very useful in a social studies context when you are presenting a major unit.  The database can be made up of the different daily lessons that will pull together to form the main context of your unit and provide the overall understanding form the parts to the sum.