Roblyer and Doering
(2012) discuss the primary software programs used by educators, “…word
processing, spreadsheet, and presentation software” (p.134). All three types of
software come in open source programs that are free for download, but more
often costly proprietary software that is not open source is used (Roblyer
& Doering, 2012). These three types of software are the theme of this blog
post.
Word Processing Software
Word
processing software comes in the form of quite a few programs. Software
programs like Microsoft Word and Mac Pages are very well known, but Apache
Writer is an open source free software if the cost of proprietary programs
becomes an issue. Word processing programs increase productivity of students by
allowing quick editing of documents, but there are non-monetary costs to
consider (Roblyer & Doering, 2012) . Issues stemming from the use of these types
of programs involve teaching students to become better typists, and errors
derived from allowing the programs to analyze spelling (Roblyer & Doering, 2012, p.120).
Spreadsheet Software
Educators primarily
focus spreadsheet software on math and science classes (Roblyer &
Doering, 2012) .
Spreadsheet software programs have advantages over other types of
software when dealing with numerical data (Roblyer
& Doering, 2012). This type of software also enhances productivity
by saving time and uses rows and columns to organize the data. Roblyer and Doering (2012) discuss the benefit of this software, “Spreadsheets help people visualize the
impact of changes in numbers” (p.122). Microsoft Excel, Macintosh Numbers, and Apache
Calc are all forms of spreadsheet software programs with the latter being free
to the public.
Presentation Software
Roblyer and
Doering (2012) describe presentation software as follows, “Presentation
software is designed to display information, including text, images, audio, and
video, in a slideshow format” (p.128). Educators have the ability to enhance
their lectures to get a greater impact on student comprehension. The problem
with this type of software begins with educators needing a better understanding
of how to properly use the software (Roblyer
& Doering, 2012, p.130). Presentation software is not the lecture an
educator gives to their students, yet many times reading from the slides to
provide the lecture does happen.
Here is a short video of common Power Point
issues from the University of Miami.
Classroom Use
I personally think
the use of Microsoft Excel spreadsheet software would yield
excellent results teaching economics. The functionality of having each cell
within a spreadsheet being able to manipulate numerical data via formulas is
incredible. Students would visually see the impact of rising rates of
inflation. One manipulation of a single cell on a spreadsheet theoretically
could change every other cell on the page. Without spreadsheet software every
change would require reconstruction of a new spreadsheet.
References
Roblyer, M. D., & Doering, A. H. (2012). Integrating
educational technology into teaching (6th ed.). Columbus, OH: Merrill
Prentice Hall.
UMiami Continuing Studies. (2009, November 17). What Not to Do in Power Point [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sbfactc12Vw
UMiami Continuing Studies. (2009, November 17). What Not to Do in Power Point [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sbfactc12Vw
Another cool feature of excel is conditional highlighting of cells when numbers hit a certain threshold or go negative. That could be an engaging addition to the economics exercise. Text has this example in table 4.7 on page 127.
ReplyDeleteDarren,
ReplyDeleteThe thought of using Microsoft Excel to teach economics is an excellent idea. Previously, I only focused on using Excel as a grade book. It seems like you are seriously thinking outside the box by using spreadsheets to demonstrate inflation and what not. Visuals definitely help with such subjects. It is mentioned that spreadsheets can be used to demonstrate "what if" scenarios. (Roblyer and Doering, 2013). This feature is ideal for experimenting with changing economic conditions.
Darren,
ReplyDeleteExcel sounds like the perfect tool to teach economics, especially for someone like myself that struggles with it (and other math related subjects). Roblyer and Doering (2012) say that "Whenever concepts involving numbers can be clarified by concrete representation, spreadsheets contribute to effective teaching demonstrations" (125). This would make teaching these types of concepts much easier than say a lecture would. Having a visual representation using easily assessable software is perfect for teaching those who may struggle with these concepts.