Spreadsheets Galore

Over the last few weeks we've been asked to take a look at spreadsheets.  Spreadsheets are nothing new to me, but I know that they can be really intimidating.  I first was exposed to spreadsheets in high school, but I can't remember what we exactly used them for.  I know in my computer classes we did simple assignments out of the book, but we were never made to use them for organization or input of data.  As I got more into college, I used them more and more for classes, especially my business classes.  We did a lot of data input and for me spreadsheets were a lot easier to organize the data and made everything look nicer.  Besides assignments, I also used spreadsheets for the student organization I was president of.  Now, I use spreadsheets on a daily basis.  For me, I find that when things look nicer, they're easier to read and a better way to communicate.  I also teach my students how to use spreadsheets.  A lot of what I teach them is just the basics, but I want them to realize that spreadsheets can really make life easier.

My favorite feature to spreadsheets is the function feature.  It's great to be able to input data and then use a function to help you get your end result.  I've never really been good with math and it always takes too long to do it on pen and paper or a calculator.  When I learned how to use the functions, I felt that it made the process of doing everything all together.

Using spreadsheets is just another part of technology that can benefit people in many ways as long as they know how to use it.  In class we did the recipe assignment.  Something as simple as putting a recipe into a spreadsheet, creating a formula and allowing the computer to do the work for you, is incredible.  I never thought about using a spreadsheet for recipes, but it makes sense.  Having that function available to help figure out how much ingredients you need for different servings in a huge help.

As I continue to grow with my knowledge of spreadsheets, I hope to learn them for more than just simple data input and put them to use for things such as recipes.