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178 PART TWO Rppl4inq Technoloqies for Effective Instruction Helps to ensure that documents are grammatically correct Assists students in • Proofreading and correcting their work • Practicing the application of grammatical rules Assists teachers in • Demonstrating grammar corrections in real time • Helping students find and correct grammatical errors Helps to ensure that documents are free from spelling errors Assists students in • Proofreading and correcting their work • Practicing correct spelling Assists teachers in • Demonstrating spelling corrections in real time • Helping students find and correct spelling errors Provides an easy way to make form letters personal Can be used by teachers to individualize reports to students and letters to parents Provides tools to present information professionally, concisely, and clearly in an organized format Assist students in Converts files from documents 10 web format so that they can be easily added to web sites Allows students and teachers to create documents and save them in Web format for display on aclass web site without knowing any HTML Provides an inexpensive and easy-to-access archive system for documents • Saved teacher data files are easy to access and update to keep lessons current and available • Students can save files for later work or find and reprint lost hard copies • Archived files can easily be added to electronic portfolios GRRmmRR CHECKInG SPELL -CHECKinG mRIL mERGE TRBLES WEB FORmRT RRCHIVInG • Organizing data • Presenting data clearly • Summarizing key data Assist teachers in • Creating clear summaries for sludy guides • Displaying organized data in support of presentation • Teaching interpretation of data Eleetrollic Spreadsheets Electronic spreadsheet software is to numeric data what word-processing software is to text. With an electronic spreadsheet, you can organize, input, edit, and chart data, and produce accurate professional reports for any ad ministrative task that deals extensively with numbers. Spreadsheet soft ware not only allows you to organize numeric information but also has built-in mathematical and statistical formulas that can be applied to the data with just a few clicks of the mouse button. With a spreadsheet, bud gets can be easily developed and modified, grades can be tracked and aver aged, and class statistical information can be extracted. Furthermore, most spreadsheets include built-in graphing capabilities that can turn numeric data into colorful, three-dimensional charts that will visually illustrate nu meric relationshi ps. [HRPTE~ S Rdministrative Software One of the key advantages of electronic spreadsheets over their manual counterparts is in their accuracy. Given accurate data, a spreadsheet will always produce accurate results. A second advantage is the fact that spreadsheets can be modified easily. Consider as an example the grade level media budget pictured in Figure 5.2. If it had been done manually and the cost of printer cartridges turned out to be $10 instead of the bud geted $8, you would have to erase and recalculate a number of different en tries on the spreadsheet. With an electronic spreadsheet, however, you would need to type in only the new value, and all the other entries associ ated with that value would be automatically recalculated. This time-saving feature makes electronic spreadsheets easier to use, less time consuming, and far more accurate than doing the calculations manually. Several software vendors produce electronic spreadsheet programs. Some of these, such as Microsoft Excel, are powerful, business-oriented software packages that have numerous features. Others are for home or general consumer use, such as the spreadsheet component of AppleWorks, ClarisWorks, or Microsoft Works. Regardless of the capabilities of any given spreadsheet package. they all have a full range of common features. At mylabschool.com, there is material that demonstrates and provides you practice with Excel, one of the most common of all electronic spreadsheets. When you try the Excel Skills Builders, you will have an op portunity to see firsthand how the features of this useful tool can be ap plied in your classroom for both administrative and academic tasks. 179 Spreadsheets manipu late numeric data and display it in tables and charts, Spreadsheet Organization Electronic spreadsheets, like their paper counterparts, organize data into verti cal columns and horizontal rows. The user then types in alphabetic or nu meric data in the appropriate locations. This organizational structure provides the framework for lining up and clearly labeling numeric information. mMicrosoft Excel· Media Budget • _ ~ ,.-~J------:....J,.-._... _..1-'--=J=-._J_ ......' ----J_ _-----CC':t-'--"_1:_._21-----CC.!YI=-·_1_00_%_"_1-;_-'.... 1~ 10 " 1I:.:tII B $ •;1_" Prompt ", • ..Q,," ~ x JJ ---.I ~ E23 fS, =SUM(E1 E21) r------;;:.-------S·-u .. C 1 • I, I; -·D-~----T~- G H ~ J MEDIA BUDGET FOR CURRENT YEAR PRINT Ouanity 4' Construction Paper 5 Lined Paper 6 . SubTotal I 7 VIDEO Blank Tapes TralOIOg Tapes PBS Videos SubTotal 11 1 .12 AUDIO Blank Tapes 114 Talking Story Books 115, SubTotal , 16 COMPUTER 17' Disks i 18 Educational CD·ROMs 19 Printer Cartridges [20 Computer paper 21 SubTotal I1 i [s 1;0 113: ! ! i •H . • ReadY • " \ Sheen Unit Price 500 $ 1()()() $ 500 300 FIGURE 5.2 Total Electronic Spreadsheet Application $ 2,500 00 $ 3.00000 $ 5,500 00 500 $ 15 $ 30 $ 300 $ 1,50000 50 00 $ 75000 15000 $ 4.500.00 $ 5.25000 500 $ 100 $ 050 450 250.00 45000 $ 1000 100 350 100 J 5t-eet2 J 5t-eet3 / $ $ $ $ 0.35 2500 800 300 Spreadsheet software is a use ful tool in maintaining school budgets. MEOlA BUDGET $6'OOOOOtl)n:' $4,000 00 . "Pm! $2,00000 • Video ' o Audio l~c~er $. 700 00 Microsoft Excel' is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. 1 SUPPLIES $ 35000 $ 2,500 00 $ 2,800 00 $ 30000 $ 3,10000 I( > I r.:IM,-cro-'of-;:'t:-Exc-'.,-'·Me:-d:-",7'Bu-;-dqe-:1t1 www.ablongman.com/lever-duffy3e 180 PA~T TWO ApplLjinq Technoloqies for Effective Instruction e-~ , r;;;;;,.mylabSchool.com ~~~~are Skills Builder Excel Skills-Club Budget The intersections of spreadsheet rows and columns are called cells. It is in the nature and use of these cells that electronic spreadsheets have great advantage over their manual counterparts. Each cell of a spreadsheet can contain text, values, or a formula. This variety of cell content can be seen in Figure 5.2. The cells in column A all contain text labels, and the cells in column B all contain data representing budget amounts. The cells in columns C through E contain labels, values, subtotals, or totals. Column D's cells do not contain totals calculated by hand and then typed in. Instead, they contain instructions to the spreadsheet software directing it to per form a mathematical calculation-in this case, multiplying the data en tered in columns Band C. This independent data-handling capability of each spreadsheet cell makes it a quick and easy task to alter or correct the data entered. Further more, once a single cell's data have been changed, that change will be re Hected in all cells that use those data for a calculation. Thus, if the budget amount for lined paper in Figure 5.2 is changed, the print media subtotal will also be changed, as will all other related totals. This automatic recal culation feature is one of the key reasons why spreadsheets have become as popular a tool for handling numbers as word-processing software has be come for handling text. Formulas and Functions As in all math, formulas are used in a spreadsheet to indicate the types of calculations that should be performed to achieve a specific outcome. The cells that contain instructions that tell the software to perform spe cific mathematical activities may, in fact, contain detailed formulas that the user has typed in. In addition to user-entered formulas, most spreadsheets contain hundreds of stored, premade formulas that the user can easily place into a cell. These range from formulas appropriate to finance and statistics to those necessary for trigonometry. These built-in formulas make it particularly easy to direct the spreadsheet software to perform complex mathematical tasks without the user hav ing to remember the specific syntax of mathematical expressions. You will practice using formulas and functions in the Excel Skills Builder activity, Club Budget. at mylabschool.com. Once you are comfortable with the software, you will find electronic spreadsheets to be powerful and useful tools. ~ ~.~ Vi'" Spreadsheets offer a what-if feature for decision making. What-If Analysis Perhaps the most intriguing feature of an electronic spreadsheet is its ability to perform what-if analysis. Because some cells contain the mathematical results of the data in other cells, changes to those data can be immediately reHected in the product. For example, a teacher who is using a spreadsheet to compute grades will have entered not only student grade data but also the formula needed to reflect how those grades will be averaged or weighted. So if a student wanted to know what his or her average would be if the score on the next test were 100 percent, the teacher could enter the hypothetical 100 percent into the spreadsheet, and the student could see the result in terms of a final grade computation. This is a what-if analysis; that is, what if the student gets a grade of 100 percent-how [HRPTE~ S Rdministrative Software 181 will that affect the outcome? This is a valuable tool for both business and education. Some educators have students keep spreadsheets of their own grades to motivate their achievement and to stay aware of their grade in a course. Charts and Graphs Another useful feature of almost all spreadsheet software is the ability to turn the data that have been entered into rows and columns into its graphic counterpart. The graphing (also called charting) function allows the user to select specific cells, and the software will automatically turn the data in those cells into an accurate graph in any number of formats from line, to bar, to pie charts. Some spreadsheet software even adds the ability to graph in color and three-dimensional shapes. For profes sional-looking displays and to assist visual learners, this spreadsheet tool is extremely useful. The Student Measurement Skills Builder activ ity at mylabschool.com will demonstrate the instructional power of this feature. Templates and Macros Like word-processing software, spreadsheet software makes use of tem plates and macros, allowing the user to create and reuse useful spread sheet formats and commands. Spreadsheet templates and macros can also be found as shareware or freeware at numerous educational web sites. You can also create your own spreadsheet templates. Try the Excel Skills Builder activity Grade Keeper, at mylabschool.com, to experience this feature. Electronic Spreadsheets in the Classroom Table 5.4 shows how many of a spreadsheet's key features can be used both administratively and in teaching and learning. Just as word-processing software can be repurposed for academic projects, so too can spreadsheet software. Whether a teacher uses a spreadsheet to track grades or a student uses a spreadsheet to collect and record data from an experiment, this software provides a wealth of possibilities to the creative teacher. See the In the Classroom feature on page 183 for just a few of the many creative activities that educators around the country have developed for using this software. Many more ideas are shared on the Web. Try On the Web! Activity 5.2 to discover even more creative adaptations of spreadsheet software. ~ . 1"'.. , •.. i . / . . . Spreadsheet graphing makes it easy to vis ualize data. 6-~ '" ~.mYlabSchool.com ,=-o~~are Skills Builder Excel Skills-Student Mea surement Activity 6~ '" ~.mYlabschOOI.com ~~~are Skills Builder Excel Skills-Grade Keeper 6- . {\ on~ How Can Spreadsheets Enhance Teaching and Learning? Database Management Software Every educator's job includes the cumbersome tasks of organizing, main taining, and retrieving many types of data. Whether it is a student's home phone number or a school district's targeted language arts objectives for the sixth grade, educators must be able to easily and quickly gain access to and extract the information they need. The productivity software that ac complishes this type of task electronically is called a database manage ment system. www.ablongman.com/lever-duffy3e 182 PRRT TWO RpplLjinq Technoloqies for Effective Instruction TRBLE 5.4 SPREADSHEET FEATURE ELectronic Spreadsheets in Teaching and Learning Allow for the preparation and display of clearly or ganized numerical data on individual spreadsheets and in workbooks or related spreadsheets Assist students in • Organizing numerical data • Creating and testing formulas • Formatting data to produce clear and concise reports Assist teachers in • Organizing and reporting numerical data • Creating customized gradebooks • Tracki ng student data • Presenting clear reports Provides premade formats to give aspreadsheet a distinct professional appearance Teachers and students can create appealing, professional-looking spreadsheet reports Provides easy-lo-use tools for visual displays of numeric data Provides students with • Atool for visual presentation in student reports • Atool to view saved data visually for better understanding • Away to visually explore alterations of the numeric data stored in the spreadsheet Provides teachers with • Atool for preparing visual reports of abstract mathematical re lationships • Apresentation tool to demonstrate numeric data visually Assist in preparing accurate calculations that will automatically adjust to changes in data Help students SP~EROSHEETS WO~K800KS Rno RUTO FD~mRTTInG Fo~mULRS Rno FUnCTiOnS • Create and test formulas • See changes in mathematical relationships as data changes Help teachers • Demonstrate mathematical concepts in action • Test and use appropriate grading formulas • Demonstrate to students how final grades are calculated Allows for the real-time demonstration ot the im pact of changes in data; e.g., bUdgeted amounts can be tested for different results Assists students in • Seeing the impact of data changes on outcomes in mathemati cal scenarios • Testing relationships and outcomes by manipulating data Assists teachers in • Demonstrating changes and their impact on the results • Explaining how different test grades will affect astudent's final grade Provides an inexpensive and easy way to store and access worksheets for budgets and other numeric files Saved data files are easy to access and update to keep records current; students using spreadsheets for math practice can re trieve as needed WHRT -IF RnRLYSIS R~(HIVInG APPLICATION TO TEACHING AND LEARNING TASKS APPLICATION TO ADMINISTRATIVE/PROFESSIONAL TASKS CHRPTER 5 Rdministrative Software 183 Classroom IN THE SECONDARY BUSINESS CLASS David Messina, busi ness teacher at Reagan High School in Houston, Texas, introduces a lesson on Microsoft Excel's spreadsheet software: Some of you will go to college, others will go straight into the workforce, and some will enter the military. It is important to see what opportunities will await you. The following assignment will provide you with the opportu nity to see how much money you will potentially earn and how much it will cost you to live in various cities. You will find that you pay different taxes in different states. You will discover how the cost of living can vary. He narrows the focus by telling them that working in groups they will have access to information to be placed into a spreadsheet. To begin, they are directed to the Occupational Outlook web site where they will find the entry-level salary in a career of their choice. Given a list of 16 cities, the students select five to compare the cost of living with that in Houston. Moving to the third section of the assignment, the students determine the tax rate for the states; and going to the Paycheck City web site, they estimate their net pay for each city. With all the data before them, Mr. Messina informs them: In your groups, discuss and decide on a format that in corporates all the information you have gathered into a spreadsheet. You must create column headings for salary, gross salary, the different taxes, cost of living, and other important information you have found. Your spread sheet must contain at least three formulas. Use the in formation you have found to create possible formulas. Finally, they write up an analysis of their findings by compar ing and contrasting "different costs of living and tax rates from different states." IN THE ELEMENTARY CLASS Gayle Ryan, an elementary school teacher in the Chicago public schools, has shown that even the students in her K-2 classes can work with spreadsheets. They learn to use Microsoft Excel "to chart individual math totals," she explains. They measure their heights in inches and write the numbers on paper. Next, they "type the height in inches by their name on an Excel chart." She shows them "how to highlight the data and click the Chart Icon." Each student then receives a copy of the chart to take home. The chart allows them to visualize the range of heights in their class. Ms. Ryan assigns a follow-up activity for the students to "measure different objects in the classroom and around the school building and chart the heights on Excel." For homework, they "measure" objects at home and "bring the data in inches to school to chart on Excel." Messina, D. (2003, January 24). Building your future. Retrieved August 12, 2004, from www.teachers.net/ lessons/ posts/ 2800.html. Ryan, G. Charting heights on Excel. Retrieved July 18, 2005, from www.cps.k12.il.us. Database management software offers educators an easy-to-use system for creating customized records to contain data, retrieving targeted records, updating and editing the information in those records, and then organizing clear and accurate reports from the data (see Figure 5.3). Furthermore, database software allows you to sort all your data automatically at the touch of a key or to query the database for a match to any single word or phrase. Considering the amount of information an educator must deal with, database management software offers many advantages over manual filing systems. An electronic card catalog in a media center library is one example of the advantage of database management systems over manual systems. Consider for a moment the complexity of cataloging or locating a book using a manual system. In mrmual cataloging, a book must be cross-referenced on at least three different index cards under title, author. amI subject. All of Database management software can organize, sort, retrieve, and report data www.ablongman.com/lever-duffy3e ·' 184 PRRT TWO Rpplljinq Technoloqies for Effective Instruction !;.l Microsoft Access Ele ~ ~dl ~ dl loa. ~ • ~ P ~IIJ II ISO'I. tio\o <;Iose ~~ • 1" If:J .0' GJ. FIGURE 5.3 Using a Database Management System for Student Data Database management soft ware helps teachers organize student information. Microsoft Access® is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. e-~ , ~.mYlabSChOOI.com \:o~tr~are Skills Builder .Access Skills-Department Inventory Students ID Stmumt # Name A (ldress City State J 2 38457 Smith Janie 32 Berry Anytown Florida 33298 3 98532 Ellan Billie 231 N. M Anytown Florida 33299 4 98732 Albright Susan 32 East Anytown Florida 33298 these must be typed out and manually sorted and filed. To find the book, the card catalog user must look through drawers full of cards until just the right card is located. For both the media specialist and the library patron, the process can be laborious. With an electronic card catalog that is a dedi cated database management system of the library collections. the process is much simplified. All database management software contains key features to make the organization and manipulation of data easy. These key features are summa rized in Table 5.5. Of course database management software packages vary significantly in the extent to which they can perform these functions, and powerful business database systems offer many additional features. At mylabschool.com, you will find activities that demonstrate and pro vide you practice with Access, Microsoft's popular and powerful database management software. When you try the Access Skills Builders, you will have an opportunity to experience how the features of this powerful busi ness tool can also be creatively applied in your classroom to your adminis trative and academic tasks. Database Organization In database management systems, a field is the electronic storage location in which a specific type of data is stored. In our library example, a field might contain an author's last name in a Last Name field. A record is a col lection of all related fields, such as a record that contains all the informa tion about a specific book. A file is a collection of all related records, such as a file containing records representing all the books in a library. This or ganizational structure provides the facility with the ability to organize and manipulate data at both the macro and micro levels and to easily update and accurately maintain information. [HRPTER S Rdministrative Software TRBLE S.S DATABASE FEATURE DRTRBRSES FORms Database Management Software in Teaching and Learning APPLICATION TO ADMINISTRATIVE/PROFESSIONAL TASKS APPLICATION TO TEACHING AND LEARNING TASKS • Allow lor the definition of customized database formats • Provide for inputting and storing large amounts of complex and/or cumbersome data Assist students in • Thinking through and creating logical data organizations • Easily entering data for subsequent organization and reporting Assist teachers in • Creating customized data organization that suits their specific needs • Managing student and content data Provide a10rmat for support staH and aides to input data Teachers can create easy-to-use and lamiliar input screens for students to use Professional-looking output created by tools and wizards Assists students in • Presenting project data in avariety of attractive formats Assists teachers in • Customizing output for each student class, or lesson Provides multiple levels of sorts to make data easy to comprehend Assists students in • Practicing alphabetizing skills • Thinking abstractly to determine appropriate sorts • Presenting data clearly Assists teachers in • Presenting dafa to students in an easy-to-use format • Demonstrating critical-thinking and alphabetizing skills • Preparing logical reports Provide for customized output through the selection 01 speci1ic records based on predeJined criteria Assist students In • Practicing logical and critical-thinking skills • Finding and reporting targeted data • Identifying key criteria to look for Assist teachers in • Finding and working with only those records needed • Demonstrating concepts in equality and Boolean logic • Presenting real-time demonstrations of critical thinking Provides an inexpensive and easy way to store and access data Saved database 1i1es are easy means to use to REPORTS SORTinG QUERIES RRCHIVInG 185 • • • • • Query data Access data Update information Sort data Make reports In our library example, the media specialist can simply type in the data representing a new acquisition in a new record in the media center's data base file. The database software automatically stores the new record. From that point on, the user can access that new record according to the data stored in any of the information fields on the record. By typing in a key word www.ablongman.com/lever-duffy3e 186 PRRT TWO Rppl4inq Technoloqies for Effective Instruction or phrase, the user can retrieve the desired record from the database. This electronic process is a fast and accurate data input and retrieval system. &-~ \. ~.mYlabSchool.com ~~r~are Skills Builder Access Skills- PTA Membership Sorting Once entered, records can be sorted according to the data in anyone or in multiple fields. Sorting arranges all records in a database into ascending or descending order based on the alphabetic or numeric characters stored in any field. In our library example, with this sort function, no matter how many additions or deletions to the library's collection of books may occur, the database of holdings is always in alphabetical order and ready to use. And because all the data are stored electronically and automati cally sorted, a record cannot be as easily removed or misfiled as is possi ble in a manual svstem. Querying '~.. ~ .• , • I. The query feature selects and displays data that match spedli, ";,,,;, One of the most significant features of database management is the ability to find one single item of data from the potentially thousands of items in a database. When querying a database, the user instructs the software to look for and match targeted criteria. In our library example, to find a specific author's name, you would, in a query operation, instruct the software to look in the Last Name fields of all records to find that targeted last name. Once it is found, the software returns the record in which the matching name resides. Despite the size of the database, any single item of informa tion can be quickly and easily accessed. The PTA Membership Skills Builder at mylabschool.com will demonstrate an Access query and give you practice using this feature. Reports &-~ \. ~.mYlabschool.com ~~r~are Skills Builder Access Skills-Science Database e-~ on THE WEB! S. Using Database Management Software to Enhance Teaching and Learning Whether you need to print a written summary of all of the records in the database or only those resulting from a query, most database management software packages contain report formats that ensure a professional and polished look. Reports are essentially templates built into the software to create output that is attractive and easy to read. Although it is possible to print the entire database, including all fields of all records, if the database is large, this can result in an overwhelming and difficult-to-read quantity of data. Using a report instead allows you to use the results of a database query to report only those records you want and then to identify and dis play only the desired fields within the records. In our library example, we can easily query the database to find any new additions to the library and then create a New Acquisitions Report that includes only the most perti nent information about each book. Your Science Database Skills Builder activity at mylabschool.com will help you master effective reports as well as the other essential features of this versatile software. Database Management in the CLassroom Like word-processing and spreadsheet software, database management soft ware, when creatively applied by educators, can be more than a productivity tool. It can become a creative teaching and learning tool when used to catego rize, store, access, and retrieve large amounts of data or to demonstrate logic when creating a query. More ideas are available in On the Web! Activity 5.3.