What Are the Challanges of Using Spreadsheets in the Classroom?
Instructors use spreadsheet software to teach students everything from basic math skills to introductory programming logic. Use spreadsheets to teach primary-level tykes about pie graphs and bar charts, or try them in high school math courses for more complex data analysis projects. Although spreadsheet software offers a hands-on way to teach and learn math and logic, using technology in the classroom does have its drawbacks.
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Purchasing Licenses
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Commercial spreadsheet software offers the biggest bang for your buck, boasting more features than freeware and online options. Unfortunately, buying 20 or more software licenses can be expensive, even with the steep educational discounts available. If your school doesn't have the budget to purchase Microsoft Excel or another pay-for application, investigate whether free options have the functionality to make it through your lesson plan. Google allows you to make basic spreadsheets for free. OpenOffice.org spreadsheet software from Oracle is another free spreadsheet software option that gets better everyday and will likely fulfill your basic needs.
Teacher Knowledge
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Teaching students to use spreadsheets requires that their instructors have technical knowledge. Teachers without this background need to learn the software on their own time so that they understand how to use spreadsheets and how to teach with them.
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Different Levels of Student Comfort with Computers
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For your students to learn math concepts from spreadsheet software, they need to use it and understand how it works. Some students might have more exposure to computers and spreadsheet software than others, making it difficult to develop a lesson plan that teaches spreadsheet functions without over-explaining to tech-savvy students. Try using written tutorials that students can work through at their own pace. Students who don't need detailed explanations can skip through them, while students who need extra guidance can work more slowly.
Information Integration
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According to a 1994 study by Sweller and Chandler cited in "Applications of Cognitive Tools in the Classroom," integrating information from a number of sources to make meaningful associations is difficult. Some students might have trouble making connections if asked to see the visual relationship between numbers and graphs, or if they have to switch back and forth repeatedly between separate sheets of numbers. Address this challenge by getting students to create and then analyze. Have them put in the numbers and create graphs themselves, providing explanations as they progress through the activity step-by-step.
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References
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