The Many Uses of Spreadsheets in the Classroom

This is a chart that I made based on the estimated and the actual costs of a sample wedding budget which I created in excel format. This is just an example of how spreadsheets and graphs can be utilized. I think this kind of project, utilizing excel spreadsheets and charts, would be great to do with students in the classroom. If you want to see more, check out my "Wedding Planner Spreadsheet"

Spreadsheets are a wonderful tool that can be utilized in the classroom. There are many possibilities for integrated spreadsheets, and graphs made from these spreadsheets, in your class. I would love to incorporate a WebQuest with a particular spreadsheet project for my students. I think that this would be a fun way for the students to interact with technology while learning about a new subject or topic. In my opinion, it would be best to use an inquiry-based approach for introducing this new concept of spreadsheets to your students. An inquiry based approach is basically one where you seek for information by asking questions or questioning things. For example, I would ask my students questions about the new tool, being the spreadsheet, to get them thinking of questions that they may have. There are three particular guiding questions that I would use while introducing this new concept of spreadsheets to my students. These three guiding questions are listed below:
1. How can we use spreadsheets to collect and/or analyze information?
2. What kind of information can we collect in a spreadsheet?
3. How do spreadsheets help us learn more about a set a data or information?

In conclusion, spreadsheets are a great learning tool which, in my opinion, should be introduced to children at an early age. This will most likely not be the last time that your students will see and work with spreadsheets. Therefore, this will be a skill that your students can take with them for the rest of their lives. There are endless possibilities when it comes to incorporating spreadsheets in your classroom. Give it a try!!!

Movie Making Magic

Here is a video that I created from a "student sample" point of view. I really enjoyed the entire process of making this movie.

There are some wonderful tools available for movie-making, which will certainly benefit your students' learning environments in the classroom. Windows Movie Maker is a fun and user-friendly tool that you can introduce to your students at an early age. You can find Windows Movie Maker right on your desktop under the "start menu". Windows Movie Maker is a great way to get you students excited and enthusiastic about learning. Not to mention the fact that they will feel a sense of validation when they are able to share their completed movie with an audience. The learning possibilities are endless with this movie making tool. FreePlayMusic is an audio tool that can be accessed through the Internet and it is free. This is a great way for your students to learn about technology and incorporate some audio into their movie projects. Audacity is another great audio tool for the students to use. Audacity is a free, open source software for recording and editing sounds. Both of these audio tools are easy to use and they will enhance your students' learning experiences.

These are wonderful tools that can be used in the classroom in a variety of ways. I would love to use Windows Movie Maker in my classroom. For example, I would have my students create their own movie about fractions, such as the sample movie provided above. This would not only introduce the students to new technology, it would also familiarize them with fractions. Windows Movie Maker, FreePlayMusic, and Audacity are flexible tools that can be integrated into any curricular area.