Embedded Files
Spreadsheet software, like Microsoft's Excel or Google Sheets, dates back to some of the earliest computers. Some even give these applications credit for launching the microcomputer revolution that changed the world forever. Spreadsheet software helps users create worksheets, or a series of cells arranged in rows and columns, to organize and manipulate a great variety of data. The primary function of these tools is to help users manage numbers and do calculations, however their uses extend far beyond that. Below are four ideas for using Google Sheets (a cloud-based spreadsheet application that is part of the Google Drive application suite) in the classroom.
Four Uses of Google Sheets in the Classroom
Four Uses of Google Sheets in the Classroom
2. Automated data collection
2. Automated data collection
1. Visualizing research or survey data
Even in the language arts classroom, there are times when students need to go out and get data, either through research or a survey/questionnaire. Google Sheets works especially well with numerical data because it can be quickly converted into a graph that can be either exported as an image to be used for online content or printed and used on posters for presentations. An added feature is the program's ability to create interactive graphs for use on websites. Students simply need to input data in a spreadsheet, and then the software can do the rest. You can see an example of this use in action on this online Maus Novel Study Unit.
In language arts, students often need to write research reports or persuasive pieces that require data to be collected from people. This is usually done using questionnaires or surveys. Google Sheets allows users to make Forms. Forms are questionnaires that can me posted and answered online. The Form can be emailed to people to answer or embedded in a website. The software then automatically places all responses into a spreadsheet that can be converted to visual representations of the data with one click. These features can save students countless amounts of class time, freeing them up to focus on turning the data into a written composition or presentation. See this example of this year-end survey and spreadsheet of responses designed to collect and analyze data on students opinions regarding their class.
3. Recording observations and other student data
3. Recording observations and other student data
While not particularly a student function, Google Sheets offers an easy way for teachers to record important information about student performance or observations. With this feature, Google Sheet's ability to be easily embedded in a website or easily published and shared online via hyperlink makes this tool profoundly important for communicating to both students and parents about classroom performance live as the data is still being collected. This information can also be converted into easy-to-read graphs. Because of Sheets's ability to help manipulate data and do calculations, it is a profound time-saving tool. Google Sheets is used to save and broadcast all data for the Joined Nations, a classroom activity in the Happy Kids Middle School Program based on the Model United Nations, on the JN Website. See the spreadsheet in action here.
4. Writing computer-based quizzes
4. Writing computer-based quizzes
While similar to some of the other activities above, Google Sheets's ability to create and publish Forms can also be used to create many different kinds of quizzes. Students enjoy being given the chance to write quizzes to challenge their classmates. Having students write assessment items is an excellent way for teachers to assess student understanding of content covered in class. Using Google Drive, students can create a Form that consists of review questions that can then be either shared online or taken at a computer in the classroom. Students can then check each other's answers using a spreadsheet of responses that is automatically generated by the program. This activity works particularly well for novel study units that require the teaching of important background information. Check out this example of a quiz about allegory made for a unit on Animal Farm. You can see the spreadsheet used to collect responses here.
Example Lesson Plan Using Spreadsheets
Example Lesson Plan Using Spreadsheets
Lesson Title: Literary unit peer-review
Content Area and Level: Language Arts, grades 5 and up
Description of Lesson
This lesson is meant to be used at the end of a literary unit. Students have just completed reading a particular reading selection or novel and need to review the content before some kind of final assessment activity. In this lesson, students are required to generate a quiz that checks their peers' comprehension of the main events and topics from the reading selection or novel. Students will use Google Forms to create an online quiz. After completing the quiz, students share it with their peers to take. Peer results are collected in a spreadsheet automatically generated by Google Sheets. Students then provide feedback via email to each student who took their quiz. Time required: about two class periods.
Objectives
After finishing a reading selection or novel, students will identify at least 10 key events or concepts from the selection to use to write quiz questions.
Using a Form in Google Drive, students will write a short quiz of at least 10 questions for their peers to take.
Given a quiz over a reading selection, students will answer the questions with 80% accuracy.
Using a Google Sheet in Google Drive, students will grade and provide feedback for at least four peers who took their quiz.
Given feedback on their performance on peer-generated quizzes, students will analyze their comprehension of a reading selection to better prepare for a final assessment over the reading selection.
Description of Data Used
Data collected in this lesson consists of student names, email addresses, and their answers to peer-generated quizzes. All data is collected using Google Forms which is automatically fed into a Google Sheet with the columns of the spreadsheet being the responses to the quiz questions, and the rows being the student who completed the quiz.
Sample Form and Spreadsheet
Below is a example quiz (Google Form) created for this lesson.
Below is a sample spreadsheet used to collect the response data for the above quiz. Student would use this spreadsheet to grade the quizzes and provide feedback.
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