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The beginning of the new school year is the time for making lists. Class lists, lunch lists, reading groups, club members, gradebook entries, bus routes, schedules, book lists and duty rosters. From the superintendent to the secretary, from the classroom teacher to the academic dean, from the lunch lady to the custodian, all of us at this time are making new lists on which we will record information, track progress, and print useful documents. Can technology help to make this process more efficient? This week's article shows you how to set up and manage lists in such a way that your work is minimized and your possibilities enhanced.

Excel

I have watched many teachers build their class lists in the word processor. This seems like the natural choice, but it's not the best one. Another oft-overlooked member of the Office suite, Microsoft Excel, is in most cases the tool of choice for making and managing lists. (For teachers who use AppleWorks, the spreadsheet tool is almost identical to Excel for the purposes of this article, and will work just as well.)

The Excel spreadsheet makes it easier to enter the list, to manipulate and format it, and to use it for a variety of purposes. We'll start with the simplest example, a class list, and show how by entering the names once, the list can grow into a full-blown reusable database of student information. (The best way to read this article is to launch Excel (again it is part of Microsoft Office), and follow along building lists as you work through the paragraphs.)

Enter the names

Our class list will start with the names of our students. Type them in two separate columns, last name in column A and first name in column B. By separating the names like this, you gain flexibility later -- you may sort by last name, or by first name as the need arises, and can change the order to fit the circumstances. Do not worry about the order in which you enter the names -- that can be taken care of later. As you type, you'll find it easier if you use the tab key to move from one column to the next, and the return key to move from one row to the next. (In some schools, you may not need to type at all -- you can get your class list from the administrative computer, or from a web-accessible database.) From here you can copy and paste the names into Excel; or you may import a file of names directly into Excel by choosing File -- Open from the menubar.)

Your list might look like this:

Notice that we have entered a title in the first row; this helps identify the list. And we have labeled the columns to make it easier to read, and as we will see later, easier to sort.

We adjusted the width of the columns A and B and the height of row 4 by clicking and dragging the lines in the column header (A,B.C) and the row header (1,2,3,4...). When the list was complete, we saved it (to a place where we could easily find it later) with a filename that makes sense (such as class_list_fall04.xls) The .xls is the standard Excel filename extension.

Sort the list

Your first task might be to put the names in alphabetical order by last name. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Select the names you want to sort. Do this by clicking and dragging across the names (not the column headings or titles) so that the Excel window looks like the picture at the right. It is important to select all the information you want to sort, and only the information you want to sort.

2. Choose your sort criteria. Choose Data -- Sort from the menubar. This will open a sort window as illustrated below. Here you see that we have chosen to sort the list by column A (last name), in ascending order. Click OK to carry out the sorting process.

3. Examine the sorted list. Make sure it came out the way you expected. Our results look like this:

By the same token, you might sort by column B, and have the students in order by first name. And if you displayed in column C the heights of the students, or their grades on the last math quiz, you could sort by it and see the names in a different order.

This list can be saved, printed, copied, pasted, sent in an email message, or used in a PowerPoint presentation.

Add more information

Suppose we want to organize our students into reading groups, and then make a list by group. We would add the group information in column C, as shown below. When we sort by column C, we end up with a list by reading group. In a similar way, we might add columns for lunch table, parents' name, email address, or phone number. Or quiz grades. Or homework submitted. The same list can be used for a variety of purposes. By copying and pasting the columns, we can rearrange the items on the list to show only the ones we need at the moment.

Modify the list

Just about all the standard formatting tools can be applied to this list to make it appear as you need it. To use it as a wall chart, set the text size to 48 point and print it on several pages that can be taped together. To make an attendance list leave column C blank and print just the first three columns. To keep track of grades, enter the scores in subsequent columns, then average across the row (student average) or down the column (class average.) To make comparative graphs, enter the relevant names and data, and then choose Insert -- Chart form the menubar.

As you can see, our names have grown from a simple list to a useful data set. So as you develop all those lists at the beginning of the semester, consider using the spreadsheet, and enjoy the administrative efficiency and educational possibilities.