Lesson Two Thoughts...

This week's lesson really opened my eyes to all of the different ways spreadsheets and databases can be used in the classroom. Below is an awesome website I found created by a man named Bill Ferriter. In his article, Mr. Ferriter explains a new spreadsheet he has created for his school and how it will help the teachers keep track of student reading comprehension. A link is below.

The Tempered Radical: Using Spreadsheets and Pivot Tables to Track Data. . .

Not only does his spreadsheet keep track of reading comprehension, but different teachers can manipulate it to tell them exactly what they need to know, even about individual students! I never knew that Excel could do so many things. There are great instructions in this article, but I'm hoping I can find someone at my school who knows more about Excel than I do so they can help me set something like this up. It may not be as grand, but I really like the idea.

After talking with different people in our class, I have a lot of good ideas about how I can continue to use spreadsheets and databases in my classroom. For starters, I want to create a behavior chart so that keeping track of each of my students won't require going through hard copies of their files once a month. I also want my kids to become more familiar with spreadsheets, so I'm going to work this summer on creating a lesson that will teach them the basics of Excel and Access while still being fun and creative.

I've already talked in the discussion board about how I use a spreadsheet to keep track of my student's reading goals and points, but there are other ways I use spreadsheets everyday. For starters, I am the teacher rep for our 5th Grade Committee and since the end of the year is on its way, we've been busy planning our 5th Grade Awards Night and Lock-In. Because we have permission forms, money and other papers coming in everyday, I have a lovely Excel document that I enter everything into so we can all keep track of who is coming, who has paid, and what else we need to do. The parents on this committee appreciate how easy the spreadsheet is to read, and it really helps me stay organized and focused on our goals. I may not be a pro when it comes to Excel, but it truly makes my life easier.