Spreadsheets Made Simple On An iPad

As part of our commitment to ensuring a broad and balanced range of ICT skills that facilitate true digital literacy, we introducing our children and their teachers to the wonderful world of spreadsheets on iPad using Google Sheets in Grade 3!

For some this may seems a little excessive, but that's because they probably suffer from a little known condition known as 'spreadsheetitus'—where individuals have an irrational reluctance to use a powerful digital tool for no other reason than they were never introduced to it when they were their age. But fear not, spreadsheets are easier to use than you might think...

Spreadsheets are wondertools, the calculators of the 21st Century, and like calculators they can do incredibly complex mathematics, or, as in this example very simple mathematics indeed.

Our approach to ensuring ICT skills are not neglected, while still using and learning these skills in an authentic, integrated learning environment is to look for opportunities within the curriculum to utilise tools where it makes sense. Finding an opportunity to integrate spreadsheets isn't too difficult. In this case our Grade 3 track their use of water over the course of a week, and use that guided enquiry as a basis for maths work, cue spreadsheets!

This example introduces the app and shows how to calculate the total of a column of figures using a Function (SUM) and how to perform a custom calculation (ie multiplying 2 numbers) by creating a Formula, which is really as simple as, "take whatever is in that cell, multiply it by whatever is in that cell, and put the answer here..."