Integrating Educational

Technology into Teaching

CHAPTER 5

Teaching with the Basic Three Software Tools:

Word Processing, Spreadsheet, and Database
Programs

Why Use Software

Tools?

Improved productivity
Improved appearance
Improved accuracy
More support for interaction and
collaboration

The Basic Three

Software Tools

Word Processing
Definition

Educational Impact

Programs that allow

people to produce
typed documents on a
computer screen

Saves time
Enhances document
appearance
Allows sharing of
documents
Allows collaboration
on documents
Example: Google Docs
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Word Processing
Features
Storing documents
Erasing & inserting text
Search & replace text
Moving & copying text
Word wraparound
Change style &
appearance easily

Justification
Automatic headers &
footers

Inserting text from other

programs

Spell checking
Suggested words
Style & grammar
checking

Graphics insertion
Merging text & data
Tables
Templates
Voice recognition

Word Processing
Productivity
Creating handouts or other instructional
materials
lesson plans and notes
Reports
forms
letters to parents or students
flyers, and
newsletters

Word Processing
Research
Improves writing
Improves attitudes
toward writing
More revisions
Fewer mechanical
errors
Increased sharing and
feedback

Issues

When to introduce
Keyboarding skills
Effects on handwriting
Impact on assessment

Word Processing
Integration
Strategies
Supporting the learning of writing processes
Using a dynamic group product approach
Assigning individual language, writing, and reading
exercises
Encouraging writing through the curriculum
Integrated, interdisciplinary, and thematic
instruction

Word Processing
Strategy for Introducing Word
Processing
1.
Prepare for teaching
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Demonstrate the basics

Assign individual practice
Demonstrate formatting features
Assign more individual practice
Demonstrate procedures with new files
Assign more individual practice

Spreadsheets
Definition
Spreadsheet are also
called worksheets
Programs designed to
organize and
manipulate numerical
data
Spreadsheet can refer
to the program itself
or to the product it
produces

Features
Calculations &
comparisons

Automatic
recalculation

Copying cells
Cell formatting
Graph creation
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What does the software do?

Spreadsheets can:
do all sorts of calculations, both simple and
complex, using formulae
recalculate things quickly when the numbers
change
use functions to help you set up complex
formulae
act as simple databases so that you can sort or
search your data
plot charts and graphs
change the appearance of fonts, cell
backgrounds and borders
control how many decimal places are shown.

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Basic features

12

Why use spreadsheets?

13

Tracking marks on paper

14

Spreadsheets
Educational Impact

Save time
Organize displays of information
Support asking what if questions
Increase motivation to work with mathematics

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Spreadsheets

Rows

(Side to Side)
[Numbered]

Cell

(Every one on
these boxes is
a cell)

Every cell has a name to help you find the right one.

Columns

(Up and Down)

[Letters]

F22

Its name starts with the column letter and then the row number.
So, this cell is called what?
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Spreadsheets
Research

Issues

Useful tools for

teaching concepts in
many areas
Problem solving
Statistical analysis
Literature contains
numerous examples
from mathematics
to social studies

Spreadsheets versus
grade book packages
Flexibility
Setup

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Spreadsheets in the Classroom

Productivity
Grade keeping
Checkbooks
Budgets
Attendance charts
Performance
assessment checklists

Instructional Strategies

Demonstrations
Student products
Support for problem
solving
Storing and analyzing
data
Projecting grades

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Tracking marks on computer

The teacher makes a table of names and assignments.
What formatting changes
could you make to this table
so that the information is
better presented?

Labels

Bold font

Merged cells

Shaded
backgrounds
Centred text

Cell Borders

Table border

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Tracking marks
The teacher enters the marks, leaving a blank cell if the student was
absent, but putting a 0 if the student did not hand in their work.

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Using and replicating formulae

The teacher can use a formula to work out the average mark for
each student

and then replicate it for the other students.

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Using a function
But theres a problem can you see what it is?

Bethany was absent for one assignment, so her results need to be divided by 4
not 5. The Average function does this automatically.

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Nail that function

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Revise those functions

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Spreadsheets
Strategy for Teaching
Spreadsheets
1. Prepare for teaching
2. Demonstrate the basics
3. Assign individual practice
4. Demonstrate formulas and formatting
features
5. Assign more individual practice

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Databases
Definition
Programs that allow
users to store,
organize, and
manipulate
information (both text
and numerical data)
Database can refer to
both the program or
product it creates

Features
Allows changes to
information

Sorts alphabetically or
numerically

Searches information
Generates reports
Merges data with word
processing documents
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Databases
Educational Impact
Reduces data redundancy
Saves time locating and/or updating
information
Allows comparisons of information
Helps reveal relationships among data

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Databases
Research

Issues

Acquire useful skills in

searching and using
information
Useful in inquiry and
problem solving skills
Increase teacher skills
with designing lessons
that use the Internet

Simplified access
versus privacy
Coping with
information overload
Disaggregation
features

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Databases
Productivity

Instructional Materials

Inventory of
instructional resources
Data mining for
planning and reporting
Respond to questions
or perform required
tasks
Send personalized
letters to parents

Research and study

skills
Organizational skills
Understanding
information pictures
Posing and testing
hypotheses
Searching for
information during
research
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Databases
Strategy for Teaching
Databases
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Prepare for teaching

Demonstrate the basics
Assign individual practice
Demonstrate database creation and use
Assign more individual practice

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