Excel-lent Ideas!

This week, we will be talking about our “good friend” Excel!

A Couple of FYIs
1. open the links in a "new window" or it will navigate you away from this site

2. if you are not on an Excel unit right now, you might want to go to the links, print and save in case the authors remove the links or the sites are taken down

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Review/Intro Ideas

I always liked to start Excel with the “Skittles” lesson (some use this one from Microsoft with M&Ms) http://www.microsoft.com/education/candy.mspx just to see how much knowledge the students already have from earlier courses as well as a review of key terms.

I also liked to play “Battleship” where the students mark their spreadsheets with their ships as well as their spreadsheet of hits (“Google” – Spreadsheet Battleship – and a great Word Doc from Missouri will be the first link).

Real World Idea

Instead of a spreadsheet from the book have the students create a personal budget for their future self. http://mconn.doe.state.la.us/lessonplans.php?task=LP_view&lesson_id=6040&dispPage=8

Math Integration Idea

This one makes math integration fun – it is about baseball players’ salaries and variance…the students have to figure out who on the roster is overpaid!
http://mste.illinois.edu/malcz/Spreads/VARIANCE-EXCEL.html

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Excel Lesson Ideas from the Web

Shopping Spree:
http://www.ncwiseowl.org/kscope/techknowpark/FreeFall/ShoppingSpree.html

Halloween Candy:
http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2007/11/digital_biology_friday_the_hal.php

Fast Food Nutrition:
http://www.education-world.com/a_tech/techlp/techlp029.shtml#
**The Wake Forrest Link is incorrect in this lesson plan**
http://www2.wfubmc.edu/Nutrition/Count+Your+Calories/dtd.htm

Water Usage:
http://www.microsoft.com/education/wateruse.mspx
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Please post your Excel ideas this week!

Happy Teaching,
Business Education Georgia

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Cyber Security Month Lesson Idea

October is Cyber Security Month!

Integrate a lesson about staying safe online - identity theft, viruses, password selection, financial information, tagging photos, etc into all of your courses.

Lesson Plans/Classroom Ideas/Other Links:

Identify Theft Lesson Plan - http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/teachers/lessonplans/economics/idtheft_8-29.html

Go to http://www.staysafeonline.info/ then click on K-12 Educators for lesson plans and teaching ideas.

Microsoft's "password checker" to test the strength of your passwords - https://www.microsoft.com/protect/fraud/passwords/checker.aspx?WT.mc_id=Site_Link

http://www.cybersmartcurriculum.org/safetysecurity/lessons/

http://www.safeinternet.org/blog/october-national-cyber-security-awareness-month

Please add any other lessons you think are useful on this topic.

Happy Teaching!
Business Education Georgia