Experiences

Organizing school trip with support of Excel

Maria Deptuła- Chocholska

Poland

Primary school

Technology, ICT

Teaching in class

Direct

Classes address the problem of skillful budgeting and class finances management combined with a scheduling class trip with the expenditure allocated to it. At the same time they learn the practical use of a spreadsheet that ceases to be a boring computer programme, and it becomes a very useful and interesting tool. Scheduling real actions that will be put into effect teaches responsibility and gives students a lot of satisfaction.
Students are asked to schedule a real picnic, or a school trip including the selection of the necessary things, proper clothing and food. The whole proposal is to be presented and calculated in Excel. Work may be done in groups that after some time confront the results of their actions. At the beginning they discuss time and weather conditions in which the trip is to be organized (season, temperature), number of participants, number of meals and nights if it is a longer trip. The important thing is to fix the budget at the beginning of the lesson and to determine on what one should spend money first. They must make the decision - whether to book meals, or do the food themselves on the route. Meals should be balanced and healthy which is not always successful. The same applies to accommodation - tent or hostel, means of transport, hiring a guide. Having certain amount of money to spend they must carefully manage it, and at the same time satisfy all the needs of the group. To search for accommodation, equipment and food prices, they use the internet, so this lesson is conducted in the computer lab.
During the lesson students discuss and sometimes it even leads to conflicts, which, however, must lead to some agreement so that in the end a table in Excel could be created. This table, developed together on the whiteboard and on personal computers, contains all the expenses written out and summed up, including appointing the people who will make the purchases. Such an organized trip not only teaches the principles of economics, but also to organize the travel and safe holiday. Finally Excel, which usually raises the reluctance of students finds its enthusiasts.