1. Can you identify two types of data your students could collect as part of a lesson?
Spreadsheets are used primarily to manipulate numbers. Students could gather data about gas prices over the past few years, using currency as a form of information. Students could then manipulate these numbers to show trends throughout the years of how gas prices have climbed and fell. Another form of numerical data that could be gathered is temperatures. Students could study the trends of temperatures throughout the month or the year. They could then use the spreadsheet to calculate data about the means and averages of the temperature. However, you can also enter text into a spreadsheet. When using a spreadsheet to organize text, it becomes more like a database. The spreadsheet will allow the user to organize and sort this data, such as names and addresses of family members.
2. How could your students manipulate the data to discover relationships or trends?
Spreadsheets are oftentimes used to calculate or manipulate the data which is stored within them. Students could enter in a predefined formula to help with calculating the data. After doing this, students could change the data stored within the cells to be calculated. By doing this, the formula cell would change, showing how the changed data will affect the outcome. An example of a way to do this would be to have the student to create a spreadsheet of a bank account. The predetermined formula would be the balance of the bank account. Students could then enter in debits and credits into the spreadsheet. As they add in this data, students would be able to see how the balance of the bank account changes.
3. Can you identify three graphs or charts your students could make that would help them develop a better understanding of the content?
There are many different options of graphs or charts that could be made when using a spreadsheet. Three of these are pie graphs, line graphs, and bar graphs. Sometimes a student may not completely understand the data that he or she has entered within the spreadsheet. Creating a chart from this data could give the student a visual perspective of the data, which may help in the understanding of the content of data. An example for using a pie graph may be to show the number of people within a classroom. Students may gather information on how many girls vs boys, eye colors, birth months, etc are within the classroom. A pie chart would help to show the data to the students as pieces of a whole. A line graph could be used to show data from a study on how much it has rained throughout a given amount of months. Students would be able to see how the amount of rain has varied within the recorded months by seeing how the line of the graph moves up and down. A bar graph would be a great way to show the average temperature of a given amount of months. Student would be able to see how each month compared to the others as the highs and lows of the temperature is recorded.
4. Is it possible to create an interactive simulation or model with a spreadsheet?
Yes, a teacher can create an interactive simulation or model with a spreadsheet to use with the students in the classroom. Teachers can set up a spreadsheet and allow students to manipulate the data within to spreadsheet to see the changes. For example, students could do this with birthdays. Each student could enter his or her birthday into the spreadsheet. As the students change or add data, the graph would also change so depict the data being entered into the spreadsheet.
Lowther, D., & Morrison, G. (2010). Integrating Computer Technology into the Classroom. Pearson Education, Inc
Monday, March 26, 2012
Chapter 7: Word Processing
1. Doesn't word processing make the writing process too easy?
Letting students use a word processing software does seem to make the writing process easier for students. However, this added ease allows the students to concentrate more on their writing and content than on handwriting, or how a written work looks before they turn it in. By using word processing software for writing assignments, "...all students have an equal opportunity to create legible and attractive documents (Lowther, 2010 p. 180)." Also, by using word processing software, it not only helps to improve the student's writing, but also helps to improve computer skills.
2. How can word processing be used to engage students in higher-level thinking?
By using word processing, students are better able to focus on the assignment at hand, rather than writing out their assignment. When they are using a word processing software, students can use their higher-level thinking skills to organize and present their data or research. This will also allow students to re-arrange the product more easily than if they were working with paper and pencil. Another example would be to allow the students to create a table within the word processing software to depict data. Students would be able to research and decide which data they believe would be most suitable for the assignment. They could create a table with the data and also write and explanation of their findings or how they decided on which information was most relevant.
3. In what ways are the individual needs of students met when their work is completed with a word processor?
A word processing software can help to meet the needs of students in several different ways. If a student has horrible handwriting, and usually receives poor grades because of this, the word processing software would help these students with the neatness and presentation portions of their work. Other students may have a hard time with spelling or grammar, a word processing software would help these students focus more on the content of their work by assisting with spell check and grammar check. There may also be students that have a difficult time when trying to organize their thoughts into a paper, by using a word processor, these students would be able to move their thoughts around without having to start over.
Lowther, D., & Morrison, G. (2010). Integrating Computer Technology into the Classroom. Pearson Education, Inc
2. How can word processing be used to engage students in higher-level thinking?
By using word processing, students are better able to focus on the assignment at hand, rather than writing out their assignment. When they are using a word processing software, students can use their higher-level thinking skills to organize and present their data or research. This will also allow students to re-arrange the product more easily than if they were working with paper and pencil. Another example would be to allow the students to create a table within the word processing software to depict data. Students would be able to research and decide which data they believe would be most suitable for the assignment. They could create a table with the data and also write and explanation of their findings or how they decided on which information was most relevant.
3. In what ways are the individual needs of students met when their work is completed with a word processor?
A word processing software can help to meet the needs of students in several different ways. If a student has horrible handwriting, and usually receives poor grades because of this, the word processing software would help these students with the neatness and presentation portions of their work. Other students may have a hard time with spelling or grammar, a word processing software would help these students focus more on the content of their work by assisting with spell check and grammar check. There may also be students that have a difficult time when trying to organize their thoughts into a paper, by using a word processor, these students would be able to move their thoughts around without having to start over.
Lowther, D., & Morrison, G. (2010). Integrating Computer Technology into the Classroom. Pearson Education, Inc
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Teachers Lacking Technology
Over the course of this class, I have read many times that one of the barriers to using technology within the classroom is that teachers are not educated on how to use the software they is provided for them. I have now noticed that I see this on a daily basis. I am called out of my classroom several times a day by other teachers to help with something they are trying to do on the computer. Sometimes this may be for something they are using in a lesson, or sometimes it's another TA trying to figure out how to use Excel. Wouldn't it be great if all teachers were "up to date" on technology? But this could never really happen, the technology that is used within schools and anywhere else for that matter is changed so often, the only way to stay "up to date" is to learn as you go. This is how I seem to go about it, anyway. However, without a good basis in technology, learning as you go doesn't seem to be so simple either.
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