Spreadsheets in the Classroom

It is a bit ironic that this is a topic of our class right now because over the last year or so, requiring the use of spreadsheets in the classroom (particularly third grade) has been an ongoing area of disagreement.  Our district has been looking at the technology standards and what activities are currently being done within our curriculum.  We are then going to look at the gaps and fill them in with activities that integrate technology into the curriculum.  Expecting third grade students to master the skill of using a spreadsheet is one that I don't necessarily agree with.  I know that more often than not, when students need to make and use a graph or set of data, it will be with computer software, however, I still think that there is a need for them to master using paper/pencil graphs and charts first.  Having to take the extra steps to organize, plan, and construct helps them understand the concept and process more than often comes with using software programs to do so.  This includes spreadsheets.  I can see how I could use a spreadsheet to have students look at going shopping on a budget.  But I would want them to be responsible for computing the math themselves, not just using the tools from the program.  I have also thought about having the students use a spreadsheet to fill in their reading calendars and even to set one up for the summer months.  As an adult myself, I don't finding myself using spreadsheets all that often, which is probably one of the driving factors to why I don't see it as one of the more necessary skills for my students to posses at this time in their lives.  With the amount of time that I am able to get into our school labs, working on spreadsheets falls far down the list.

Having High, but Reasonable, Expectations

There were several components of this week's class that I am interested in adding to my curriculum plans. Using online word processing tools are one of the biggest interests that I have.  My interest with incorporating this started when I was introduced to GoogleDocs during our first course, and after this past week, I am even more interested in trying to make it work.  My main concern with this is how to facilitate this, since a log-in is required for these tools and programs to work.  And as much as I am excited to get my kids started with this experience, I have to play "devil's advocate" and say that I have some concerns.  My biggest concern has to be with the fact that it isn't realistic or fair for me to expect all of my students and families to have a home computer with internet access.  Each year there are a few families in our grade that don't have these things available to them for instant or quick access.  I also don't think that it is fair to expect them to go to the library or other access site to do a home practice activity or other assigned task.  I hope that I will be able to sort out some of these conflicts as I develop ways to use them more clearly and define the objectives, as well as what options there are for students who may have access difficulties. 

Onto The Next...

As the start of a new class is upon us, I am refreshed and ready to dive into the new material.  I enjoy using technology with my students and being able to introduce and expose them to new experiences and opportunities for learning with technology.  However, since my kiddos are quite young and their experience with technology covers a huge range, it can be a bit intimidating to take on these type of activities and projects.  Right now, our school is looking at how technology can be integrated into science and social studies as we evaluate and redo the curriculum plans for those subject areas.  We have come up with some awesome ideas, now it just sitting down and getting the details and expectations worked out. 

I can think of numerous ways to integrate the tools that we looked at for creating graphics and developing presentations.  I am planning on taking a lot of time this summer to integrate a presentation program that was introduced by Kristy into reading activities that focus on characters and their traits or the story elements, along with others that come up throughout this course.