Blog #6

Microsoft Excel is quite a challenge. I have worked with Microsoft Excel a couple of times, but I honestly never took advantage of the amazing features Microsoft Excel has to offer. In creating a spreadsheet for one of the assignments this week, I struggled mostly with the formulas. I understand how to utilize other features such as the columns and rows, but not the formulas. After experimenting with the formulas for a while, I began to understand more of the functions.The assignment this week was to create a mock grade book, in which we were supposed to input names, assignments, grades, and such. Using the formulas, we were also supposed to find the average, percentage, and total of student grades. The assignment this week was a good practice for me. It is extremely important for teachers to master the Microsoft Excel program for the purpose of organizing grades and many other things. For the quiz, I missed two questions, which was on formulas.
The reading this week, "Teaching Students to Use the Internet as a Research Tool," taught me many things. Throughout my college years, I have been doing tons and tons of research for almost all of my classes. Majoring in Literature and Writing Studies,I have used JSTOR and MLA many times for research papers. I have been told by my professors the differences between reliable research and unreliable research. The only thing I knew was that reliable research comes from scholarly material and nothing else beyond that point. I never really knew how to fully evaluate research methods like the reading mentions. The reading this week taught me that good research comes from online indexes and other things funded by the school. The reading also taught me to look critically at URL's, directories, and site sponsors. It is important to cite all information from the internet the correct way so that it is available for others. According to the reading, teachers need to teach students good research strategies to help students find what they need, which I think is extremely important.