spreadsheet project updated - wordpress.com€¦ · using spreadsheets in real world middle school...
TRANSCRIPT
USINGSPREADSHEETSINREALWORLDMIDDLESCHOOLMATHLESSONS
by
SCOTTPIERSON
AA,CommunityCollegeoftheAirForce,1992
BS,EasternConnecticutStateUniversity,2010
ASPREADSHEETPROJECTSUBMITTEDINPARTIALFULFILLMENTOF
THEREQUIREMENTSFOR
TECHNOLOGYAPPLICATIONSINMATHEMATICS(EDU556)
Instructor:Dr.HariP.Koirala
DEPARTMENTOFEDUCATION
EASTERNCONNECTICUTSTATEUNIVERSITY
August,2014
USINGSPREADSHEETSINREALWORLDMIDDLESCHOOLMATHLESSONS
Introduction
Whilethereissomecontroversyovertheuseofcalculatorsintheclassroom,
thereisverylittleovertheuseofspreadsheets.Ifindthisratheroddsincethe
spreadsheetispartlyacalculatingprogram.Sincetheveryfirstelectronicspreadsheet
wasdevelopedin1961(Power,2004),theirusehasbecomemoreandmoreprolificin
today’ssociety.True,manywiseteachersstillensurestudentsdonotfallintothehabit
ofusingspreadsheetsasacrutchbuttheoverwhelmingsupportforspreadsheetsinthe
classroommustmakecalculatorsupportsscratchtheirheads.
Thechallenge,then,isthesameaswithanyotherformofeducational
technology:howtocreatealessonusingthespreadsheetthatwillassistintheteaching
ofthelessonand,moreimportantly,thelearningandretentionofthematerial.The
answerisinthedevelopmentofpracticallessonsthatusereal‐worldsituations…ones
thatstudentscanseeanadvantageinlearning.Example:IfIweretocreatea
spreadsheetlessoninvolvingtheamountofspaceavailableonaniPodandhowmany
songscanbestoredthere…oralessonthatusesaspreadsheettocalculatestudent
grades…studentsmayseetheadvantageoflearningtheselessons.Theselessonswill
alsogivestudentsabasicknowledgeofthevalueofspreadsheetsforotherlessonsand
usesdowntheroad.
Asfortunewouldhaveit,Iactuallyhavetaughtalessonusingspreadsheetsto
classesof5ththrough8thGraders.IdidsoaspartofmyMSEdTechdegreeprogram,
andalsoasthenewlyassignedTechnologyDirectorforourschool.WhileIdidnotuse
thespreadsheetlessontoteachMath,wedidlearnalittleaboutmathintheprocess.
USINGSPREADSHEETSINREALWORLDMIDDLESCHOOLMATHLESSONS
AndwhileIhavenotusedaspreadsheetasagradebook,IdiduseExceltocreatethe
school’shighschooltranscripts.
InherarticleentitledCompellingSpreadsheetTipstoUnderstandingMathematics,
WendyPettinotesthat“aspreadsheetprogrammightbeoneofthemostunder‐
appreciatedassetsonnearlyeverycomputer”(2010,p.1).Shenotesthatthereare
severalbenefitsfromaddingtheuseofspreadsheetsinmathlessons,toinclude:
Empowerstudentsastheyfacilitateinquiryandanalysis. Enableexplorationandconstructionofmeaninganddynamicandcreative
ways. Studentscanexperienceelementaryalgebrainactionastheycreateanduse
formulasandfunctiontables. Studentscanmakepredictionsandformulateconjecturesastheycompare
theoreticaldatawithreal‐lifedata.
Further,shenotesthat"aspreadsheetisatoolforunderstandingand
communicatingmathematically"(Petti,2010,p.4).Othershavealsonotedthat
teacherscanusespreadsheetstohelpstudentspracticeadditionandcountingskills
(InvestInTechStaff,n.d.).
Forme,aspreadsheetisanorganizedandcolorfulwaytodisplaymathematical
calculations.Inmybudgetspreadsheet,Ihavecrunchedallthenumbersonthefirst
sheettoshowwhereallthemoneygoesandthisshowsaclearpictureofwheremy
moneyissupposedtogoandwhereitactuallygoes.However,somepeoplegetlostin
thenumbers.So,tomakeitmorevivid,onthesecondsheetIhaveapiechartthat
providesamoreliteralpictureofwhereallthemoneygoes.Ifinditagreatwayforme
torealizehowmuchmoneyisspentonfrivolousexpenses.Ithinkthesamecanand
shouldbedoneinourclassrooms.Thenumbersaregreatandthenumberstellthe
USINGSPREADSHEETSINREALWORLDMIDDLESCHOOLMATHLESSONS
tale...butanassociatedgraphmaynotonlybeasharperpicturebutmayappealto
studentswhomayget'lostinthenumbers'.
Insupportofthepracticaluseofspreadsheetsintheclassroom,ArizonaState
UniversityProfessorEmeritus,Dr.AliceChristiehasnotedinherarticleDr.Christie's
UsingSpreadsheetsinK‐12Classroom,(2007),Dr.
Christieshowsseveralpracticalandeasy‐to‐follow
lessonsonhowtogetchildrenusedtocreating
spreadsheets,charts,andgraphs.Shebeginsby
creatingalessonthatcallsforcomparativestatistics.
Then,shehelpsthestudentscreatetheirowncharts
(oftenhanddrawn)thatshowtheresultsinbar,
column,orpieformat.Lessonslikethesehelpstudents
understandtherelationsbetweennumbersand
provideapractical,colorful,andfunwaytolearn.Italsoprovidesanatural
springboardforateachertothenmovechildrenfromthehanddrawncharts,tothe
creationofelectronicspreadsheets,charts,andgraphs.
Project
ThepurposeofthisprojectistoexploretheuseofExcelinteachingtheconcept
oftravelexpensesandassociatedstatisticaldata.Morespecifically,theprojecthasthe
followingobjectives:
1. TeachstudentshowtouseExceltotrackcommonexpenses
2. UseExceltoteachstudentshowtoplan,budget,andtrackexpenses
USINGSPREADSHEETSINREALWORLDMIDDLESCHOOLMATHLESSONS
3. UseExceltohelpstudentstothinkcriticallyaboutwhichexpenseswouldbe
neededforatriptoanothercountry.
ProjectOverview
Thismultimediaprojectwasdesignedforstudentsin5thand6thgradebuthas
alsoincluded7thand8thgrades.Itcanbeaccomplishedbyoneclassroomormany.In
thisassignment,studentsaretoldtoresearchinformationforaoneweektripto
anothercountry.Ifaclassroomfromanothercountryisinvolved,classroomsshould
planavisittotheotherclass’scountry.Ifseveralclassroomsareinvolved,classes
shouldchooseafairmethodtoassignthevacationcountry(i.e.,byselected
participatingcountrynamesoutofabowl).
Studentsaregivensufficienttimeinclasstoresearchairfare,hotels,restaurants,
museums,activities,etc.Thisprojectcanbecompletedindividually,butitis
recommendedthatstudentscompletethisjobasaclass.Theclasscanbebrokendown
inteamswitheachbeingassignedadifferenttopictoresearch.Studentsshouldsave
picturesofaircraft,cities,hotels,attractions,restaurants,etc.forthelatercreationofa
newsletterorPowerPointpresentation.
Ofmoreconcernforthispaper,however,isthetrackingofexpenses.Expenses
shouldbekeptonpapersothatanExcelspreadsheetcanbecreatedfromgathered
material.StudentswillthenbeguidedthroughthedevelopmentofanExcel
spreadsheettoincludeasimplepiechart.
Themainbenefitofthisprojectisthatstudentswillhaveabetterunderstanding
ofhowExcelcanbeusedforcommontasks,suchasvacationplanning,expense
USINGSPREADSHEETSINREALWORLDMIDDLESCHOOLMATHLESSONS
tracking,andbudgetpreparation.Studentswillwalkawaywithabasicknowledgeof
someusefulwaysspreadsheetscanbeused.
ProjectActivities
Studentswillbeguidedstep‐by‐stepthroughthecreationofanExcel
spreadsheetandanassociatedgraphbasedonfinancialinformation(expenses)that
weregatheredduringtheproject.Thisprojectcombinesmath,geography,computers,
andsocialstudiessomultipleteachersandclasstimescanbeusedforthecompletion
oftheproject.Step‐by‐stepinstructionscanbefoundattachedonWorksheet1.
ProjectAssessment
Studentswillbeassessedaccordingtotheirparticipationintheproject,aswell
asthefinalproduct.Themostimportantaspectofthislessonisn’tthefinalcostorfinal
“answer”butwhetherornotthestudentsparticipatedintheprojectandunderstand
theprocess.GradeswillbeassessedaccordingtotherubricinWorksheet2.
FinalThoughts
IactuallycreatedthislessonintheSpringof2014.Whiletheclasses’teachers
taughtandguidedthemajorityofthelesson,ItaughtstudentstheuseofPowerPoint
andExcel.Iwasabletoguidethemthroughthecreationofthefinalspreadsheet.The
entireprojectreceivedalotofpositivefeedbackandIconsiderittohavebeen
successful.TheonlyissuewehadwasintheSkypeconnectionwiththeRussianclass
andhadnothingtodowithExcelorMath.Teachersconsideringthisprojectshould
consideropeningituptostudentsfromothercountries.Thatwasactuallythebest
partofthelesson
USINGSPREADSHEETSINREALWORLDMIDDLESCHOOLMATHLESSONS
Feedback
Anexitsurveywillbeconductedtogivethestudentsachancetoofferproject
feedback.Thefollowingquestionswillbeasked:
1. Whatwasyourfavoritepartoftheproject?
2. Whichpartwashardest?
3. Didthepiecharthelpyouunderstandwhereallthemoneywasspent?
4. Wereyousurprisedbyanyoftheresults?
5. Whatcouldhavemadethisprojectbetter?
USINGSPREADSHEETSINREALWORLDMIDDLESCHOOLMATHLESSONS
REFERENCESCCSSStaff.(n.d.).GradeSevenStandardsforMathematicalPractice.Standard5.Retrieved
fromCoreStandards.Org:http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/cwp/view.asp?a=2710&q=322592#mathematics2
Christie,A.(2007).Dr.Christie’sUsingSpreadsheetsinK‐12Classrooms.Retrievedfrom
alicechristie.org:http://alicechristie.org/edtech/ss/InvestInTechStaff.(n.d.).TeachingTechnology:UsingMicrosoftExcelintheClassroom.
RetrievedfromInvestInTech.com:http://www.investintech.com/content/excelclassroom/
Petti,Wendy(2010,April27).CompellingSpreadsheetTipstoUnderstandingMathematics.
RetrievedfromEducationWorld:http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/mathchat/mathchat025.shtml
Power,D.(2004,August30).ABriefHistoryofSpreadsheets.Retrievedfrom
DSSResources.com:http://dssresources.com/history/sshistory.html
USINGSPREADSHEETSINREALWORLDMIDDLESCHOOLMATHLESSONS
WORKSHEET1‐INSTRUCTIONS
*Note:Studentswillfollowasteachershowseachsteponanoverheadprojector.
OpenablankExcelspreadsheet
1. IncellA1,typethewordITINERARY
2. IncellA2,typethenameofthecurrencyusedinthecountryyouwillvisit.
3. QUESTIONS:
a. Doyouknowwhattheyuseforcurrency?
b. Wherecouldyoulooktofindout?
4. IncellA3,typeDOLLARS
5. IncolumnA,underITINERARY,listallyourexpenses.Iputtheminchronological
order(bydate),youmayenterthemanywayyouwish.
6. RightclickontheletterBatthetopofcolumnB.
7. SelectFormatCells.
8. UnderCategory,select“Currency”
9. NexttoSymbol,scrolldowntofindthecurrencyusedinyourvacationcountry.A
teacherwillhelpyouifyouneedassistance.Click‘OK’whenthisisdone.
USINGSPREADSHEETSINREALWORLDMIDDLESCHOOLMATHLESSONS
10. IncolumnB,underthenameofthecurrency,enterthecostscorrespondingtoeach
itemyoutypedincolumn.
11. LeftclickontheletterCatthetopofcolumnC.Atthetopofthescreen,nearthe
middleselecteithercurrencyoraccounting,andthenclickonthe$signbelow.
12. IncellC2wearegoingtoconvertyourforeigncurrencytoUSDollars.
13. Findthecurrentexchangerateforthevacationcountry’scurrency.
14. IncellC2,typetheformulayouwouldusetocalculatetheUSDollaramount
correspondingtotheexpenseyou’veenteredincellA2andtheforeigncurrency
amountyouhaveenteredincellB2.
a. InmyexampleforRussia,Ihaveentered‘=B2/34.7733’
b. I’vetakentheRUBamountincellB2anddividedbythecurrentnumberof
Rublesyoucanbuyfor$1…34.7733.
15. CopycellC2,highlightcellsC3throughtheendofyourlist,andthenpaste.
16. QUESTION:Whatdidyouthinkwouldhappen?Didyouthinkyouwouldhave
alonglistofthesamenumber?
17. FACTOID:IfyoutypedanumberinC2,copiedit,andthenpastedit,youwould
havealonglistofthatnumber.Butwhenyoucopyacellthathasaformulain
it,itpastesthatformulabutmakesitapplicabletoTHATrow.
18. RESULTS:Inmyexample,IcopiedC2whichcontainedtheformula
B2/34.7733.WhenIpasteitintocellC3,itchangestoB3/34.7733.C4willbe
b4/34.7733,etc.
19. NowthatyouhavepastedtheformulaintoallthecellsincolumnC,everyamount
youenterincolumnBwillbeautomaticallyconvertedtoUSdollarsbecausethatis
whatyoutoldittodowhenyoupastedtheformulainthosecells.
20. InthenextemptycellbelowyourItineraryList,typeTOTALEXPENSES.
21. InthecorrespondingforeigncurrencycolumnB,youneedtocalculateyourtotal
expensesintheforeigncurrency.Thiscanbedoneoneoftwoways:
a. HighlightalloftheexpenseamountsincellsB2andbelow,highlightingalso
thecellthatwillcontainyourtotal.Findthe∑(AutoSum)symbolatthetop
rightofthescreenandclickonit.Thisshouldcalculatealltheitem’syou’ve
selectedintothelastcolumnyouselected.
USINGSPREADSHEETSINREALWORLDMIDDLESCHOOLMATHLESSONS
b. Enterthisformula:=Sum(B2:B_),where_isthelastrowyou’veenteredan
expensein.NoticemyexamplewasB24sominewouldread=Sum(B2:B24).
22. Rightclickonyourforeigncurrencytotalandselect‘Copy’.
23. RightclickonthecorrespondingcellincolumnCandselect‘paste’.
24. QUESTION:Whathappened?
25. YoushouldnowhavetotalexpensesshownforboththeforeigncurrencyandUS
dollars.
Wewillnextbreakdownallyourexpensesintomajorcategories.FormineIhave:
Transportation(whichwillincludeplanes,trains,busses,taxis,etc.)
Lodging(Hotels)
Meals
Activities
Miscellaneous
26. IncellE1,typeEXPENSESUMMARY
USINGSPREADSHEETSINREALWORLDMIDDLESCHOOLMATHLESSONS
27. HighlightcellsE1,F1,andG1.
28. ClickontheMerge&Centerbuttonnearthetopcenterofyourscreen.
29. TypeEXPENSEincellE2,yourcurrencynameinF2,andDOLLARSinG2.
30. ListyourmajorcategoriesincellsE3,E4,E5,E6,andE7.
31. Nowwewilltotaltheexpensesthatcorrespondtoeachcategory.
a. Inthesampleabove,IclickedoncellF3andentered
=B2+B10+B11+B16+B17+B23
b. IfyoulookatthecorrespondingentriesincolumnA,youwillseethatthese
areallofthetransportationexpenses.
32. RepeatthisprocessforallthecategorieslistedincolumnA.
33. Repeattheprocesslistedinsteps13and14abovetocalculatetheDollaramountfor
thesecategories.
NEXTwewillmakeagraphofourexpenses.
34. HighlightcellsE3throughF7(E3,E4,E5,E6,E7,F3,F4,F5,F6,F7)
35. Intheupperrightcornerofyourscreen,selectthe‘Insert’tab.
36. Clickonthe‘Pie’chartsymbolnearthemiddleofthetop,thenselectthetype.
a. IselectedExplodedpiein3D.
37. Apiechartwillappear.Noticethedifferentsizesofthepiepieces.
38. QUESTION:Lookatyourpiechartandtellmewhatyousee?Inonepicture,
whatdoesittellyou?
39. Clickonanyoneofthepiepiecesbutclickonlyonce.Noticehowdotssurroundall
thepiepieces?Ifonepiecehasdotsaroundit,clickoutsidetheboxandthenclick
onepieceagain…butonlyonce.Nowallthepiecesshouldhavedotsaroundthem.
40. Rightclickonthatsamepieceandselect‘FormatDataLabels’.
USINGSPREADSHEETSINREALWORLDMIDDLESCHOOLMATHLESSONS
41. Makesureonlytheseareselected:Categoryname,Percentage,ShowLeaderLines.
Makesure‘BestFit’isselectedunderLabelPosition.
42. ClickonClose.Notethatyourpiepiecesarenowlabeledwiththenameofthe
categoryandthepercentageofthetotalcostforthatcategory.
43. Clickingononeofthelabelswillselectthemall,clickingonitasecondtimeselects
onlythatlabel.
44. Selectonelabel,changethefont,thesize,makeitboldandmoveitaround.
45. QUESTION:Whathappens?
USINGSPREADSHEETSINREALWORLDMIDDLESCHOOLMATHLESSONS
WORKSHEET2‐RUBRIC
SCOREMathematicalKnowledge
(DoIknowit?)
StrategicKnowledge(Howdoyouplan?)
Explanation(Canyouexplainit?)
4
Iunderstandhowtocalculatetheexpensesandpercentages.
Iusedmathwordscorrectlytoshowunderstanding.
Ididtheworkwithnomistakes.
Ihelpedtheteamtoplanwhichexpenseswouldbeneededforthetrip.
IshowedthestepsIfollowedtoreachtheexpensesprovided.
IwroteorexplainedwhatIdidandwhyIdidit.
Iexplainedthecompletedproject.
3
Iunderstandhowtocalculatemostoftheexpensesandpercentages.
Iusedmostofthemathwordscorrectly.
Ididtheworkwithonlyafewmistakes,whichIfixed.
Ihelpedtheteammostofthetime.
IcanshowmostofthestepsIfollowedtoreachtheexpensesprovided.
IwroteorexplainedmostlyaboutwhatIdid.
IwrotealittleaboutwhyIdidit.
Iexplainedmostoftheproject.
2
IunderstandhowtocalculatetheexpensesbutreliedonExceltodothemath.
Iusedsomeofthemathwordscorrectly.
Ihadtroublecompletingtheassignmentwithoutmakingalotofmistakes.
Ihelpedtheteamalittle.
Ishowedsomeofthestepsbuttheexpensesweren’tclearorwereunnecessary.
IwroteorexplainedalittleaboutwhatIdidorwhy,butnotboth.
Icanexplainalittleabouttheproject.
1 Itriedtodotheproblem
butIreallydidn’tunderstandit.
Itriedtohelptheteambutwaslostmostofthetime.
Icouldn’tshowthestepsItook.
Ididn’twriteorexplainhowIgottheanswersIgot.
Ireallydidn’tunderstandtheproject.
0
Ididn’ttrytofigureout
theproject.
Ididn’thelpmyclasstoplanortrytoshowthesteps.
Ididn’twriteorexplainanything.