Most of my experience with spreadsheets is through Microsoft Excel, though I have used Apple Numbers on occasion for personal records. I am very familiar with spreadsheet software due to my time working as a secretary in a university registrar's office. Google Spreadsheets offers an alternative software that gives users more collaborative options such as sharing, editing, and commenting. I was impressed with the many similarities between Google Spreadsheets and Excel, such as the ability to rearrange columns and rows, sort alphabetically, and format cells. Entering and editing data in Google Spreadsheets is just as easy to master as in other similar software programs. I was impressed with the many quality charts, maps, graphic organizers, and other gadgets that were available for insertion in Google Spreadsheets, as well as many templates to choose from in the template gallery. Like Google Presentations, I would probably only elect to use Google Spreadsheets if I needed to work collaboratively on a spreadsheet with someone or a group of people. I still find Excel much easier to manipulate, and Excel and Keynote have more formating and design options. Excel also makes using formulas easier, whereas the function option on Google Spreadsheets left me a bit confused.
I liked the lesson plans that demonstrated how to use Google Spreadsheets in the classroom to document experiment test results and lab work, and I can see Google Spreadsheets potential for collaborative projects in the classroom, particularly in math and science classrooms. As an English language arts instructor, I can envision having students use Google Spreadsheets within Drive to create spreadsheets that record and reflect related data. For instance, maybe at the beginning of a curricular unit studying various genres, I might have the students survey each other concerning their favorite genres, record the answers in a spreadsheet, and create a pie chart to reflect the data. I could also have students work in pairs to create a new vocabulary log in which they would enter information into the spreadsheet according to the vocabulary word's definition, where they encountered the word, the part of speech, synonyms, antonyms, and etymology of the words. I look forward to using Google Spreadsheets in the classroom for collaborative projects.
You seem to have Google Presentations in mind as you talk about Google Spreadsheets. I think I get that in part you were paralleling the two paired Google and Microsoft programs and at other times perhaps you were getting a little confused with the late hour.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I did get the drift of what you are saying and appreciate your thinking this one through so carefully. Thanks! :-)
I see what you mean, and I edited the post to correct the problem. I had spreadsheets and Excel in mind the whole time, and I can only attribute my repeated misuse of the terms presentations and PowerPoint to a temporary brain glitch.
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