Budgets, Technology, and Math

In math class this Tuesday, Mrs. Mize took her students to the computer lab where integer operations and technology collided in a symphony of numbers, formulas, and formatting.

Students were given a handout explaining a monthly budget. They were to record debits and credits for a pretend month time period of their own desires. Each student received an allowance and had to pick from a list of expenses or activities to participate in each month. The students were required to keep track of their balance throughout the pretend month. An example activity was attending a movie; an example expense was a new shirt. Their income could be a weekly allowance or a side job for minimum wage. Many students got creative and picked the month of their birthday so they could receive birthday money!

After the students completed a rough draft of their spending habits, Mrs. Mize took the group to the computer lab and partnered with Ms. Cameron to show the students how Microsoft Excel can help with calculating and formatting their budget. The students learned how Excel adds and subtracts an integer which is a skill they have been learning about in class. With the help of Ms. Cameron and Mrs. Mize, the students learned how to type a formula in Excel that represented an equation for keeping track of the student’s overall balance at any given time within the month. The students also learned many shortcuts to formatting numbers and symbols.

“I had a great time watching the students use a math skill taught in class, applying it to a real life situation, and watching them learn how to use a technology to simplify and organize. I think they walked away with a confidence in technology and mathematical operations and a desire to learn more!” said Mrs. Mize.

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