Ryan Osweiler EDTECH 541 Spreadsheets/Databases Part 1: Spreadsheets and databases can be used for educational and informative

purposes. According to Roblyer and Doering (2012), spreadsheets and databases can be used to supporting student product , data analysis, support mathematical problem solving, and for visual teaching demonstrations (p. 125126). Supporting Student Products Most likely, people assume spreadsheets and databases are for numerical purposes. While this may be true, sometimes teachers can use a spreadsheet to show visual representations of concepts and ideas. This example highlights a teacher using a spreadsheet as a timeline. The data set is numerical based, but the representation is in a graphical format that may be more powerful to students in terms of understanding and comprehension.

Data Analysis Data analysis represents more than the collection of data. This process refers to the study, interpretation, and evaluation of the data that is collected. Analysis can be a comparative study. In the case of this example, students plotted data and compared the climate between two cities. A teacher could ask critical thinking questions when allowing students to analyze the data. In this case, one could ask, What geographical features contribute to the climates of each city? A logical response would be that one city is in the desert and another is near the coast and that could be a justification. Data analysis requires students to dig deeper and assign meaning to what they have collected.

Supporting Mathematical Problem Solving In this example, students are asked to keep track of their progress in a popular Lemonade Stand game. Students have a month to make as much money as possible. Using spreadsheet formulas and algorithms, students can simply input their data and the spreadsheet can calculate whatever concept is needed. For example, if a student wanted to find what his/her average sales each day were, he/she can input an average formula. A student could insert a division formula to find information such as price per cup and cost per cup.

Photo used under Creative Commons from brainpop_uk.

Visual Teaching Demonstrations Teachers can use spreadsheets to reinforce concepts as they teach. The example here shows an activity where the teacher asks How much tax would you pay? Many students are not aware of all the tax that is taken out in a paycheck and/or sales and income tax that is paid by people. Most get some cash for doing something without knowing how getting paid really works. A teacher could have this spreadsheet up and as he/she goes through the lesson, the concept of tax can be powerfully displayed for students to make connections to.

Part 2: Description and Goals: This lesson is designed for my after school LEGO robotics club. In this lesson, students will study and understand the relationship between a wheel circumference and the distance traveled. Students will measure the diameter of each wheel (3), calculate the circumference, and measure the distance the robot will travel at 100% power. In the spreadsheet, students will use the following column headings: Wheel Diameter, Circumference, and Distance Traveled (3 seconds). The data will be collected by student measurement of the wheel diameter and distance traveled using a ruler. The intended conclusion is to connect a larger circumference to a greater distance traveled. When ask for variations in results, students could indicate not starting in the exact same position, battery power fluctuation, not driving perfectly straight, etc.

References Climate data workbook. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.j-walk.com/ss/excel/files/climatedata.htm Create a timeline using microsoft excel 2007. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.microsoft.com/education/en-us/teachers/how-to/Pages/timeline.aspx How much tax would you pay?. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://web.ai/club/spread02.html Neshiem, J. (2000, January 31). Climate data workbook. Retrieved from http://teachers.net/lessons/posts/1542.html Roblyer, M. D., & Doering, A. (2012). Integrating educational technology into teaching. (6th ed.). Pearson Education Inc.