Relative Advantage of Spreadsheets and Databases

VisiCalc - image from Wikimedia Commons

Spreadsheets and databases have been around for awhile. Because of this, they can be easily overlooked by educators as powerful and useful instructional tools. We seem to be constantly searching for the latest and greatest new technologies. Spreadsheets are that “dependable vehicle” that always cranks up. With this being said, spreadsheets and databases don’t have to be boring. The computational power behind spreadsheets provides a blank canvas that is only limited by our own creativity. There are many advantages to using this type of technology in the classroom.

Sugden (2007) comments specifically about using Microsoft Excel. He explains that “One advantage of using Excel is its ubiquity. Most students have already had some exposure, and the absolute basics can in most cases be assumed known” (2007, p.68). Teachers can build on this familiarity with the basic functionality of the software and introduce new methods of use that might not be as familiar. Sugden is speaking specifically about college level students. This might not always be the case for primary students.

In another article, Baker and Sugden (2007) together provide a brief history of the electronic spreadsheet, citing that the first form of this technology was a program named VisiCalc, created in 1979 and designed to do repetitive calculations (p.1) With these mathematical origins in mind, it makes sense that databases and spreadsheets can be seamlessly integrated in math and science education. Another advantage the authors point out is the modern spreadsheet’s ability to provide a toolkit that would normally encompass a scientific calculator, a graphing package, and a database program (Baker & Sugden, 2007, p. 4).

As alluded to in the introduction, I think the greatest advantage offered by spreadsheets and databases is their flexible and versatile nature. While math and science are the more natural fit for spreadsheet usage, they can be integrated into other content areas as well. Tools like form builders can allow instructors to ask questions and gather results in a spreadsheet format. Many educational software programs and games are built on a spreadsheet or database platform. In this way, they are invaluable teaching tools.

References

Baker, J., & Sugden, S. J. (2007). Spreadsheets in education–The first 25 years. Spreadsheets in Education (eJSiE), 1(1), 2.

Sugden, S. (2007). Spreadsheets: an overlooked technology for mathematics education. The Australian Mathematical Society, 68.