Spreadsheets in the Classroom

Lately I have been doing some work with using spreadsheets to explore mathematical concepts.  In working with these spreadsheets in my graduate classes, I have been thinking about how I could use spreadsheets in my Algebra 1 courses to help my students explore different concepts.

In Algebra 1, we often give our students problems that look like this: 

And we ask the question: What is the function that created this table? 

Usually, students will start with identifying the y-intercept of the function (if it is given) and then identify the slope. So in this case, the function is easily identified as y=2x+2

But what if the y-intercpet wasn't given, or the function isn't linear? Then identifying the function might be much more difficult--especially with all the hand computations required.  You have to compute each value in the table by hand to make sure that it matches with the function you identified.

What if you got an example like this: 

As math teachers, I think that we forget how easy it is for our students to get lost in the journey to a solution.  Basic computations with functions are easy for us--almost second nature sometimes.  But for our students, they are still mastering the idea of functions, so they may get caught up in the computations and lose the focus of the task--Identifying the function.

Spreadsheets can easily put the focus back on the computations.  We could put the table into Microsoft Excel or Numbers and then students could put their proposed function into the spreadsheet as a formula.  

What are the benefits of inputing the function into the spreadsheet? 

1-Puts the focus back on to identifying the function instead of focusing on computations of proposed functions.  Students could also make errors in computations and then either falsely reject a good function or falsely accept a bad function.  

2- Students see immediate results. By using spreadsheets, students are able to see the immediate result of their work.  If it is wrong, they can quickly modify and try again.  When students have to do the computations by hand, they have less time to work problems, but this way they can work more examples.  

3-Allows students to see connections between symbolic & numeric representations.  Focus in High School Mathematics: Technology to Support Reasoning and Sense Making (NCTM, 2009), they talk about the importance of connecting symbolic, numeric, and graphic representations of functions.  Spreadsheets are a very easy way to connect two of those.  

Please share any thoughts below! :) 

Resources: 

Dick, T. P. & Hollebrands, K. F. (Eds.). (2011). Focus in high school mathematics: Technology to support reasoning and sense making. Reston, VA: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.