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Conversely, I know many people that use excel as a major part of their job every single day. Having a rudimentary knowledge of Excel going into the workforce is a good thing, the company can hone the skills as needed.
I'm sure many people do use it a lot. However, that doesn't mean that every student needs to learn it because it's oh so important. You also don't need a class in school to teach Excel rudimentary knowledge. It isn't that complicated, and most schools are too busy trying to teach kids to read, write, and do math.
The importance of Excel is being grossly overstated in this thread. I know absolutely no one who uses Excel often at work. These are people in all kinds of different professions, too.
Schools need to be focused on kids being able to read, write, and do math. Schools that are not considered "the good" schools have enough trouble with that. Reading, writing, and the ability to do even basic math is much more important than Excel.
How many copies of Microsoft Office have been sold around the world in the last 20 years?
Reading, spelling and math are very important. But what about being able to interprete spreadsheets? It seems like there's no emphasis on what something means.
How many copies of Microsoft Office have been sold around the world in the last 20 years?
Reading, spelling and math are very important. But what about being able to interprete spreadsheets? It seems like there's no emphasis on what something means.
How much time do you spend around high school kids. I don't know of a single one that couldn't interpret a spreadsheet??
I know this might be asking too much of the school system, but from my perspective as a science professor, students would really be helped out by a course in generic programming and symbolic language. It could possibly even be a semester long math class. I have too many first year students, many with a year of AP calculus under their belt, that don't understand boolean operators, iterative loops, numerical approximations, or other very basic fundamentals of computing tools.
As far as excel, I agree that it would be useful but I would really hate to reinforce microsoft's monopoly. Schools could use an open source spreadsheet utility that is compatible with excel.
I know this might be asking too much of the school system, but from my perspective as a science professor, students would really be helped out by a course in generic programming and symbolic language. It could possibly even be a semester long math class. I have too many first year students, many with a year of AP calculus under their belt, that don't understand boolean operators, iterative loops, numerical approximations, or other very basic fundamentals of computing tools.
As far as excel, I agree that it would be useful but I would really hate to reinforce microsoft's monopoly. Schools could use an open source spreadsheet utility that is compatible with excel.
And they would needs these skills why? I have no idea of what these are, what they mean, what they do, however I can put together a pretty mean Excel spread sheet....
Are computer/technical skills part of the graduation requirement?
Some kids pick up computer skills on their own.....but, isn't there a "digital divide"? The middle class or rich kids are better with computers than poor or immigrants? Wouldn't integrating technology lessen that divide?
It's not really excel that's the problem. It just enables kids to *think* differently and more efficiently about something. They have a little bit more command over information or a set of numbers/data. It's like a pair of tools in a toolbelt.
Most schools are still in this world of big lumbering textbooks....this 2012. You'd think textbooks would have gotten slimmer years ago, or altogether eliminated. They'd be as outdated as the slide rule. I think excel is part of this phobia of change....they can't change away from this textbook and desk model. I don't know why else they wouldn't teach it to everyone.
Excel today is as common as paper and pencils were 50 years ago...you'd think it'd be integrated all through school. What you leave highschool with would be no different than the working world/private businesses.
Yes, those technical classes are required for graduation. As is four years of the core classes. Here's some of the goals of our district: Twenty-First Century Learning
Quote:
Classrooms for the Future provided additional technology tools that have adapted our present system of learning and work. We explore and plan for that which is required to learn in a "digital age." The idea of a "school district" limited to a single geographical place is no longer relevant given the possibilities that a digital-based learning environment affords both teachers and students. In the last decade, the advancement of communication via technology has both dramatically and fundamentally altered the way people learn, do business, work, and interact with each other.
We don't have computer classes here as part of the graduation requirements but the kids started keyboarding classes in kindergarten and have learned along the way PowerPoint, Word, Excel, etc. Any papers they turn in are typed (mainly because they have to be turned in online). Our kids were typing faster in 4th grade than I ever could.
I know how to run spreadsheets, more of the detailed Word, Excel, etc. applications than our kids do because I have needed them for various jobs....keep in mind that we didn't even HAVE computers when I was in high school.....
How much time do you spend around high school kids. I don't know of a single one that couldn't interpret a spreadsheet??
The ability to interpret Excel spreadsheets hinges on the degree of familiarity with the underlying process methodology. High school kids might be able to interpret an Excel shopping list or a table of test scores, but can they interpret a model that modifies sensitivity in a multivariate elliptical linear regression model?
The ability to interpret Excel spreadsheets hinges on the degree of familiarity with the underlying process methodology. High school kids might be able to interpret an Excel shopping list or a table of test scores, but can they interpret a model that modifies sensitivity in a multivariate elliptical linear regression model?
And again....why would they need to?
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