Creating spreadsheets
Spreadsheets are commonly used by businessmen, accountants, analysts, and mathematicians but in the classroom, spreadsheets can also serve as tools in presenting concepts in different subject areas. Teachers can create spreadsheets not only to record and compute for students’ grades but also to explain statistical data, to show relationships between two variables, to present charts for geography, to create simulations for science experiments, or to teach students about bookkeeping concepts. Teachers and students can use spreadsheets in any subject to make learning more experiential and interesting.
Microsoft Excel allows users to create professional spreadsheets and charts and performs formulas and functions that help users in data entry, computation, and analysis. Refer to the glossary below to familiarize yourself with the basic MS Excel tools and their uses.
MS Excel Basic Tools Glossary
New – to create a new workbook
Open – to open an existing saved file
AutoSum – to add numbers based on a given condition
Sort – to sort rows or columns in ascending or descending order
Chart Wizard – to create a chart
Drawing – to draw a freeform shape or add a default shape or curve
Merge and Center – to merge cells and position data in a cell
Numeric Formats – customize number format (currency, percentage)
Increase/Decrease Decimal – to change the number of decimal places displayed
Indenting – to increase or decrease indent
Borders – to apply or remove cell borders
Fill Color – to apply or change a specific pattern/color to a cell or range of cells
Name Box – displays the location of the selected cells
Formula Bar – displays cell data; used to enter or edit data
Insert function – to apply functions (sum, average, count, etc.) in worksheet data
Getting Started
To help you get started with creating and editing worksheets, check out these easy MS Excel Tutorials:
Advanced Tips and Tricks
Be a spreadsheet master! Check out these very useful MS Excel tips and techniques:
Using spreadsheets in the classroom
Make spreadsheets a vital tool in your teaching and learning! Use these spreadsheet projects and applications in your classroom:
Spreadsheet Simulation (by Power to Learn)
Learn the economies of sale with this spreadsheet simulation of a bakery by a teacher. Learn how to create graphs and apply formulas in your spreadsheet.
Create a colorful timeline (by Microsoft Education)
Make history classes more fun with timelines created in MS Excel!
M&M Activity (by EUSES)
Teach students how to apply mathematical concepts like average and sum.
Hogwarts Expansion (by EUSES)
Learn basic algebraic operations through this spreadsheet problem.
Create interactive crossword puzzles using MS Excel (by Internet 4 Classrooms)
Create a crossword puzzle that will tell students if the letters they type are correct or not!
For more spreadsheet activities and applications, visit the End Users Shaping Effective Software (EUSES) website!
Source:
n.d. “Getting Started with Microsoft Excel”. University of Texas at Austin. Retrieved November 6, 2007 from http://www.utexas.edu/its/training/handouts/UTOPIA_ExcelGS/
(Published 12 November 2007, Smart Schools Program)
