Month: February 2019

Excel Online

Microsoft Excel Online is more than just numbers, it is a powerful tool for data handling, visualisation, and problem-solving.

🔍 What does it do?

Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet application. While often seen as a tool for accountants, in the classroom it is a powerful canvas for organising information, performing calculations, and turning raw data into visual charts and graphs. As part of Glow, it is available online, allowing pupils to collaborate on the same spreadsheet in real-time.

🎓 Why is it useful?

  • Visualising Data: Instantly turn a table of survey results (like traffic surveys or favorite foods) into colorful bar charts or pie graphs to help pupils spot trends.

  • Real-Time Collaboration: Multiple pupils can enter data into a single shared spreadsheet simultaneously – perfect for whole-class experiments.

  • Maths in Action: It brings numeracy to life by using formulas to solve real-world problems, from managing a budget to tracking fitness results in PE.

  • Anywhere Access: Works on iPads, PCs, and through any web browser via Glow, so learning can continue at home.

 

⚙️ How does it work?

  1. Log In: Access Excel via the OneDrive or Teams tile on your Glow Launchpad.

  2. Create a Table: Enter your labels in the top row and your data in the cells below.

  3. Insert Chart: Highlight your data, go to the Insert tab, and choose a chart type (e.g., Column or Pie).

  4. Collaborate: Use the Share button (top right) to invite others to edit the document with you.

Check out this handy Sway with detailed instructions on how to set up and use an Excel document online:

 

🚀 Beyond the Basics

  • Automatic Graphs: After a class survey, have pupils use Excel to generate different types of graphs to see which one displays their data most clearly.

  • Data Types: Type a list of countries or cities, then use the “Geography” Data Type (under the Data tab) to automatically pull in facts like population, area, and capital cities.

  • Fitness Tracking: Record heart rates before and after exercise directly into a spreadsheet and use the “AutoSum” or “Average” formulas to analyse the class results instantly.

  • Budgeting: Give pupils a “Virtual Budget” for a class trip. They can use Excel to track costs and see how changing one item (like the bus price) affects their total spend.

 

Quick Links

Microsoft Excel support webpage 

Microsoft Basic Tasks in Excel

 

iPad Camera

iPad Camera is the window to your classroom. Capture evidence, scan documents, and support accessibility.

 

🔍 What does it do?

The Camera app is the primary way pupils capture their learning. It can take high-quality photos, record video, capture slow-motion clips, and even read text directly from a book or whiteboard. In a “1:1 iPad” classroom, it becomes a digital bridge between physical work in a jotter and digital work in the cloud.

 

🎓 Why is it useful?

  • Evidence of Learning: Not all work is digital. Pupils can take a photo of their physical models, posters, or written work and upload them instantly to Teams or Google Classroom.

  • Live Text: One of the most powerful features – if the camera sees text (on a whiteboard or in a book), a small icon appears that allows the pupil to copy and paste that text directly into a document or note or have it read aloud.

  • Scan QR Codes: No more typing in long web addresses. Pupils simply point the camera at a QR code to be taken directly to a website, a Form, or a video.

  • Magnifier: For pupils with visual impairments, the camera can act as a high-powered magnifying glass, allowing them to zoom in on small text or distant displays.

 

⚙️ How does it work?

  1. Launch: Tap the Camera icon (Gray icon with a black lens) or swipe left on the Lock Screen.

  2. Switch Modes: Swipe your finger up or down on the right side of the screen to switch between Photo, Video, Time-Lapse (great for long science experiments), and Slo-Mo.

  3. Focus and Exposure: Tap a specific part of the screen to tell the camera where to focus. If the image is too dark, tap the screen and slide your finger up or down next to the “Sun” icon to adjust the brightness.

  4. Zoom: Use two fingers to “pinch” or “spread” on the screen to zoom in or out.

  5. Review: Tap the small thumbnail in the corner to view your most recent photo and use the ‘Edit’ button to crop or rotate it.

 

🚀 Beyond the Basics

  • Time-Lapse & Slo-Mo: Use Time-Lapse to record a plant growing over a day or a chemical reaction. Use Slo-Mo to capture fast-moving events, like a ball being dropped, to analyse the physics of the movement.

  • Shape Hunts: Send pupils on a “Shape Hunt” around the school. They can use the Markup tool in the Photos app to draw over their photos with their fingers, highlighting the 2D and 3D shapes they find in the real world.

  • Visual Timetables: Use the camera to take photos of the equipment needed for a lesson. Display these on the board or in a shared Note or Keynote to provide a clear, visual checklist for pupils who struggle with multi-step instructions.

  • POV Storytelling: Have pupils film “Point of View” videos where they act as a character in a story, speaking directly into the camera to explain their feelings or motives.

🔗 Teacher Quick Links

Take Photos with Your iPad Camera