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Spreadsheets
Spreadsheets are one of the most powerful tools for working with data—but they can be intimidating at first. In this clear and simple explainer, you’ll learn what spreadsheets are, how they’re organized, and how they help you calculate and plan more efficiently. Whether you’re tracking hot dog sales or managing company budgets, this video will show you how to get started and why spreadsheets matter.
What's About
Spreadsheets may seem complex, but they’re really just structured tools for organizing and calculating data. In this video, we walk through a relatable example: a snack bar owner planning inventory for a busy holiday weekend.
We start with the basics—columns, rows, and cells—and explain how they work together to hold and organize data. From there, we explore the true magic of spreadsheets: using cell locations to automate calculations. You’ll see how one simple formula can update totals, project future sales, and adjust instantly when values change.
The video also shows how spreadsheets scale from small businesses to large organizations. For example, a company can use spreadsheets to calculate salary and benefits across hundreds of employees—and even connect that data to larger budgeting tools.
With each example, we reinforce that you don’t have to be a math expert to use spreadsheets. You just need to understand how data and locations work together to do the heavy lifting for you.
We start with the basics—columns, rows, and cells—and explain how they work together to hold and organize data. From there, we explore the true magic of spreadsheets: using cell locations to automate calculations. You’ll see how one simple formula can update totals, project future sales, and adjust instantly when values change.
The video also shows how spreadsheets scale from small businesses to large organizations. For example, a company can use spreadsheets to calculate salary and benefits across hundreds of employees—and even connect that data to larger budgeting tools.
With each example, we reinforce that you don’t have to be a math expert to use spreadsheets. You just need to understand how data and locations work together to do the heavy lifting for you.
What it Matters
Spreadsheets help us manage data with speed, accuracy, and confidence. This video helps learners overcome their fear of spreadsheets by showing how easy it is to get started—and why this skill is essential in today’s data-driven world.
By the end of this video, you’ll be able to:
- Identify how spreadsheets are structured using rows, columns, and cells.
- Understand the difference between data, a cell’s location, and how they interact.
- Use basic formulas to organize and calculate values automatically.
- Recognize how spreadsheets update calculations when data changes.
- Explain how spreadsheets are used in both personal and professional settings to manage large sets of data.
By the end of this video, you’ll be able to:
- Identify how spreadsheets are structured using rows, columns, and cells.
- Understand the difference between data, a cell’s location, and how they interact.
- Use basic formulas to organize and calculate values automatically.
- Recognize how spreadsheets update calculations when data changes.
- Explain how spreadsheets are used in both personal and professional settings to manage large sets of data.
Standards Aligned
- ISTE Standard: Empowered Learner, Indicator 1d
- ACRL Info Literacy Frame: Information Creation as a Process
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