Week 2 Comprehensive Assignment

The first website that shows up when you run a Google search for “spreadsheets and databases in the classroom” is http://www.trumbull.k12.oh.us/teachers/resources/usingss.htm.  It is a very useful site that provides multiple links to different sites, templates, strategies, and lesson plans to help the teacher implement the use of databases and spreadsheets in the classroom. It is a very thorough and useful site that was assembled by a school system. The use of technology to help others incorporate technology is such a wonderful thing about our modern society. Whether one may be a tech savvy teacher or a novice, it is great to know that we don’t have to reinvent the wheel when trying to establish the use of practical classroom management applications.

Though databases and spreadsheets generally fall into the category of classroom management, the applications can be repurposed in some very unique ways. I never would have thought of using Excel to create a crossword puzzle or a word search, but both are possible and great ways to work on vocabulary. They can also be used for games like Jeopardy, which allow the students to test their trivia skills. Another use I never considered was the creation of a timeline, which could be very useful for the student who needs to grasp the cause and affect of actions through a specific period in time. Of course, I have used Excel extensively in my Biology, Chemistry, Agriculture, and Business classes in college to make graphs, charts, and tables, which I will definitely try to bring into the high school classroom when I begin teaching. This use of Excel can lend a visual component to numbers, statistics, and other data, in such a quick and colorful way, that it’s ease of use is hard to deny.
With all the reading we had this week, I have begun to understand how important it is to learn the unique learning styles of all the kids in the class. Understanding, how they learn really impacts how successful a lesson may be. It also affects how useful certain types of technology are with regards to enhancing the students learning experience. I also never realized just how complicated the lesson plan creation process really is. As I have begun to learn about the standards expected of the students and the teachers, I have begun to wonder just how feasible it is to incorporate everything expected. The time constraints, the level of information that needs to be conveyed, and limitations of human beings, make the use of technology a bridge to help cover some of the gaps.