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Excel at EXCEL

Many educators -- even those who are quite comfortable with most uses of computer technology -- avoid using Excel. They view the program, with its alien commands and odd layouts, as incomprehensible -- more suited to number crunchers than to classroom teachers. If you're one of those Excel-phobes, the helpful reminders below might shed some light on Excel's apparent mysteries.

The Varied Uses of EXCEL

Did you think that Excel was only useful for math and accounting teachers? Think again! Excel's graph-paper-like format allows it to be used for a variety of subject area activities. Check out a few in the Education World techtorial EXCEL-lent Activities Across the Grades.

It's a Wrap
Enlarge a cell to hold all required data.

Have you ever wondered how you would ever fit the data you need to record in a single tiny cell? Simply type all the required data, click Enter (or Return), and click the cell again. Then go to Format > Cells > Alignment, choose Wrap Text, and click OK.

From A to Z
Excel can rearrange data too.

To order data in an Excel spreadsheet, highlight all the cells you want to put in a particular order, click Data > Sort, click Ascending or Descending, and then click OK. You can change the criteria Excel sorts by, and even undo your sort if you like.

A Perfect Fit!
Resize columns with just a (double) click.

When using Excel, save time by first typing in all the data. Then, double-click the lines between each column to automatically resize the columns to fit the data.



Article by Lorrie Jackson
Education World®
Copyright © 2004 Education World