5 Tips for Using Google Sheets Like a Pro

edtech google in-person teaching online education online learning tech in the classroom tech tips Oct 25, 2022

Google Sheets is a great tool for teachers to use in the classroom. With formulas, conditional formatting, data validation, and color, you can create beautiful and informative spreadsheets that will help your students learn more effectively. In this blog post, we will give you five tips on how to use Google Sheets like a pro!

Tip #1:

Formulas are the key to making your spreadsheets more powerful and informative. By using formulas, you can perform calculations on your data, and then display the results in a variety of ways. For example, you can use a formula to calculate the average grade for a student or the sum of all expenses for a class trip. To use formulas, first select the cell where you want to enter the formula. Then, type an equal sign (=), followed by the formula you want to use. For more information on how to use formulas in Google Sheets, check out this helpful article from Google.

Tip #2:

Conditional formatting allows you to format cells based on their contents and is a great way to highlight important data in your spreadsheets. With conditional formatting, you can change the color of a cell based on its value. For example, you could set all cells with a grade of A to be green, and all cells with a grade of B to be yellow. To set up conditional formatting, select the cells you want to format, then click Format > Conditional formatting. In the "Format cells if" drop-down menu, select the condition you want to apply, then click the Format button and choose the format you want to use. You can also have the colors change automatically based on other cells like if the date has passed for an assignment, it can turn red to show it is overdue, or it could turn green when you check the box to show that it is done.

Tip #3:

Data validation is a feature in Google Sheets that allows you to control what data can be entered into a cell. For example, you could use data validation to ensure that only numbers are entered into a cell, or that only dates are entered into a cell. To set up data validation, select the cells you want to validate, then click Data > Data validation. In the "Criteria" drop-down menu, select the criterion you want to apply, then enter the minimum and maximum values (if applicable). You can also specify whether you want an error message to be displayed when invalid data is entered.

Tip #4:

Color is one of the best ways to make your spreadsheet more visually appealing and easy to understand. When choosing colors for your cells, try to use a consistent color scheme throughout your spreadsheet. For example, you could use a different color for each type of data (e.g., red for grades, blue for expenses, green for attendance). You can change the color of a cell by selecting it, then clicking Format > Background color.

Tip #5:

One of the best ways to learn how to use Google Sheets is to explore the various features and options that are available. To do this, we recommend checking out the Google Sheets help center, which has a wealth of information on how to use all of the features in Google Sheets. You can also find lots of helpful tips and tutorials by doing a search on Google.