Spreadsheets

I learned a few things while working with spreadsheets, because I have really never used Microsoft Excel.  I learned how to put a formula into a cell.  I learned how to turn the data I input into a chart (as easy as highlighting the relevant cells and selecting "insert chart").  As far as the differences with Excel, I relied largely on my partner Stephanie, who had used it pretty extensively for a class a few years back.  She said she did not remember Excel having a geographic chart.  We thought that was a really neat option, but were not quite sure how it would be used.  Stephanie also said she did not remember Excel previewing the charts for you.  In that regard, Spreadsheets seems a little more user-friendly.  Excel may have more professional templates, but there were quite a few available in Spreadsheets.  We got the feeling that these might be ones that have been created by other Google users, but we weren't sure.  We did find a grade report template right away that looked great!  I am not sure if Excel has them, but I thought the buttons for currency (and the option to put numbers into different currencies) and percentages were very useful.

We looked at an elementary science lesson plan that dealt with consumer product testing.  It required students to use Google Docs to document procedures, Google forms to collect data, Spreadsheets to turn their data into information, and Presentations to share their results.  It was a 7th grade lessons, but it could be simplified for 5th or 6th grade.  The teacher led the exercise in Spreadsheets, but it was still fairly complex for their age level. I loved how it used multiple tools to achieve a final, organized result.

I also looked at a middle school science lesson plan on collaborative lab experiments.  This lesson plan required students to collect data and record it in a spreadsheet.  With the resulting information they could compare, contrast, analyze and synthesize to determine their conclusions.  It also required them to produce multiple charts to explain their information.  I thought this was great because the entire lesson was student-led, with very little instruction from the teacher. 

I thought these lessons were both great, and they showed very different ways in which Spreadsheets can be used.