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Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Chap. 11: Elementary

This chapter talked of introducing databases and spreadsheets into the elementary school classroom. I had never thought of doing this. I used to think that technology of that sort was used mostly in middle school or even higher levels. I know I was not exposed to databases or spreadsheets until I was in high school. I was very surprised to see how elementary students could benefit from using such technology.

By using this technology in elementary school, students can begin to be exposed. If they have a foundation for spreadsheets and databases, they can enhance their skills as they get older. It also gives them a sense of accomplishment by creating many kinds of graphs and tracking their progress in certain areas. In the chapter, a student tracked her progress of the number of books she read throughout the year. She even separated them into different genres on her graph. This showed her what she could improve on and her progress. They can use information they know to create patterns and gain knowledge with these graphs.

Children also can use internet databases to look up information and enhance knowledge. The author states that by using internet databases early on, they will know how to properly use them later on. I have never thought of using any of this technology before with elementary school children. After reading this chapter, I see that exposing them to databases and spreadsheets can be very beneficial to them later on.