Ozgun-Koca,
S. (2000). Using spreadsheets in mathematics
education. (Report No. EDU-SE-0-08).
“Spreadsheets build an ideal bridge between arithmetic and algebra and allow the student free movement between the two worlds. Students look for patterns, construct algebraic expressions, generalize concepts, justify conjectures, and establish the equivalence of the two models as intrinsic and meaningful needs rather than as arbitrary requirements posed by the teacher.” (Friedlander, 1998, p. 383)
This article assisted me in establishing the necessity of spreadsheets in the math curriculum at all levels. The array of objectives covered is in total support of numerous goals in the math curriculum. Later in the article it is stated that, “Moreover, spreadsheets allow students to focus on the mathematical reasoning by freeing them from the burden of calculations and algebraic manipulations”(Ozgon-Koca, 2000). I hesitated as I read this, thinking that as educators we are trying to help our students to develop the ability of calculating and completing algebraic manipulations. How could this author suggest that this was a burden? As I had time to further reflect on this, I became aware that sometimes we, as educators, have difficulty seeing the forest for the trees. In other words, we may often try to make students do too many things along the way to learning a specific skill and may never make it to the skill at all because of the many steps preceding it. It is very apparent to me that using spreadsheets would be more efficient and would develop higher order thinking skills in students when they were determining patterns or selecting appropriate graphs. This would save time in the classroom to allow students more time to assess and present their findings. This article suggested several books and web site resources that have a direct correlation to my particular grade level. It also had suggestions for various combinations of descriptors to find more resources on this topic. I found that this article was very helpful in alerting me to the wide range of benefits that extend out of the use of spreadsheets in the classroom.