Robin Pelt February 2, 2014 TLED 530 MindTools I currently teach high school students with disabilities.

One of the classes I teach is computer applications. In this class I teach students Microsoft (MS) Suite as well as Google. Because my students have disabilities, they require a great deal of practice. Much of the material is presented using real-life projects so that the students will understand exactly why it is relevant to them and how to apply in the real-world, what they have learned in the classroom. An easily accessible MindTool I use with my students is MS Excel. Excel is a spreadsheet software that can be used for many uses. One of the most useful features of Excel is its use of functions and formulas. You can plug a function into one of the squares and Excel automatically calculates totals for you, regardless of what figures are used to reach the total. Once the spreadsheet is set up with the functions, you simply plug in the numbers and Excel does the calculations. It usually comes pre-installed on most computers. The purpose of this MindTool is knowledge construction. One way excel can be used as a MindTool is to have the students develop a monthly household budget. After teaching the students the basics of Excel, I teach the students how to create a budget. There are template budgets on Excel. However, sometimes templates are difficult to alter. When a student can create one from scratch, they know how the spreadsheet works and can alter it to fit their needs. They will learn how to insert functions and learn that when numbers are entered into the budget, the answers are automatically calculated. This is a real-life activity that they can use once it is created. I give the students a handout which contains step-by-step information on what is to be entered into each cell. If your school has a restriction on paper, Google Docs is a good way to share this information. An example of a budget for rent, utilities, and a car payment may be as follows: Cell A1: Rent Cell A2: Utilities Cell A3: Car Cell A4: Expense Cell A5: Income Cell A6: Savings Cell B1: 900 Cell B2: 250 Cell B3: 475 Cell B4: =SUM(B1..B3) Cell B5: 2000 Cell B6: =SUM(B5,-B4) Click on the letter B in the columns. Click on the home tab. Click on format. Click on format cells.

Click on currency. Make sure the symbol is set to $ and there are 2 decimal places. Negative numbers can be set the way your choose. If the student were do follow these directions, this would be the outcome: (Fig. 1)

Fig. 1

Expenses
Car 29% Rent 56%

Utilities 15%

Fig. 2

Fig. 3

No matter what their real-life budget is, the functions that calculate the totals basically remain the same. Students can add different expenses and numbers to learn how to make adjustments. Students can put their budget into a table to create lines with alternating colors. (Fig 3) They can also take the data and use it in charts and graphs. (Fig 2) These two activities work well with those who are more visual learners. Once the student has completed a guided lesson, the students would then make self-created budgets. The student would research the earning potential of a particular job in which they have interest. Once they have found their job, students would enter that number in the cell for income amount. As they research items such as apartments and cars, they can watch the amount of their income decrease. If they find themselves in the negative, students will know that they may have to adjust the apartment in which they live or the type of car they drive. This is a very real-life project in which they have created. When working with computer software assessments, its best to use a rubric. Because this is an individual project, you are not going to get cookie cutter results. However, there should be some basics that you look for such as appealing color and a budget that contains all the components you set. You could even make a criterion that the students have to end up with $100.00 per month to put into savings after all bills are paid. Another example of how Excel can be used as a MindTool is in the use of calculating their grade averages. Teachers in my school district record grades in a software called GradeQuick. This software is a spreadsheet based software. Students can use Excel to create their own gradebook and help calculate their own class grade average. Also along those lines, Excel has a built in feature that allows you to determine what numerical grade you will need to earn a certain grade. It is called the What-If Analysis. This can be assessed based on whether or not the student has all required components and whether the student ends up with the correct numerical grade at the end of the grading period. According to the article, Computers as MindTools for Schools, (Joassen, 2000) MindTools should be more than a way to help us electronically do things the same way we have been doing them. They should be integrated into education to foster creativity. MS Excel is easily accessible form on computer software that is relatively inexpensive because it is usually preinstalled on many computers when they are purchased. The general knowledge of Excel functions and formulas can be used across the curriculum, math and science, to keeping inventory in a consumer science class. The use of Excel as a MindTool is one that can easily be implemented in real-life situations throughout a students life.

Works Cited
Joassen, D. H. (2000). Computers as MindTools for Schools. Ohio: Prentice Hall.