Look at the diagram on this page: a spreadsheet grid linked to Budget, Tracker, Tally and Stock list. That picture is the new toolkit ICT2 opens today.
If you have a Project Portfolio from ICT1, you will use it today. If not, your teacher will help you open or create it before the warm-up. Before you type a single formula, you need a clear answer to one question: what is a spreadsheet actually for, and which use will carry your Something Real project through the rest of this module?
Think of one number that already matters for your Something Real project (a cost, a score, a stock count, a shift total, a fundraising target). Would you rather store that number in a written paragraph, or in a grid where you can add, sort and total it later? Keep that answer in mind as you work today.
No clear project yet? Pick a temporary idea from this starter menu so you can still list three spreadsheet uses today:
Project Portfolio not set up yet? Tell your teacher now; they will help you open or create it before you write anything.
A spreadsheet is a grid of cells in rows and columns. You put numbers and short labels into those cells so the software can calculate, sort, filter and chart them. Word processors are built for sentences and pages. Spreadsheets are built for numbers and short labels you need to total, sort, filter or chart.
Aoife's Something Real project is a small custom-cake side hustle for local orders. Her {{code:05_spreadsheet_use_case_v1}} page looks like this:
Notice each use is specific, tied to her project, and easy to picture as columns and rows. Your page today follows this same shape.
| Concept | Why it matters | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Suitable uses — jobs where lists, counts, costs or scores need comparing or calculating | Budgets, trackers, survey tallies, stock lists, score sheets and timetables all fit the grid | Match points for a local GAA club across a season |
| Tool fit — pick a spreadsheet only when the job is really about data, not continuous writing | Wrong tool wastes time: a letter in a grid is awkward; a cost list in an essay is hard to total | Thank-you note to a supervisor → word processor; shift hours → spreadsheet |
| Project pick — the one spreadsheet idea you will build across ICT2 toward ICT2 KA1 | Later formula and chart lessons land on this same sheet, so the pick must be real and useful | Aoife locks First-month budget because break-even price is her next decision |
Sort each real-world job into the tool that fits it best. First talk the placements through as a class without touching the cards. Then drag each card into a bucket and use Check to confirm.
Your teacher will walk one row that came up in the sort. Listen for the job that matched your project.
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| I can argue both tools for the same job | Ask what you need at the end. If you need a total, average, sort or chart, pick the spreadsheet. If you need full sentences for a reader, pick the word processor. |
| My Something Real idea does not feel "numeric" | Almost every project has costs, dates, stock, scores, hours or a short list of people. Start there. A passion explainer can still track research sources or session times. |
| I want three flashy ideas and none of them is practical | Pick the sheet you could actually fill with real or planned data next lesson. Boring-and-true beats clever-and-empty for ICT2 KA1 later. |
| A card bounced out of the bucket I chose | That placement is not accepted in challenge mode. Re-read the job: is it structured data, or continuous writing? Try the other bucket and say the reason out loud. |
Create and name the file:
Then write your three uses using this layout (same shape as Aoife's sample):
Sentence starters if you need them:
Stuck because your project does not feel numeric? Look for costs, dates, stock, hours, scores or a short list of people, the same move Aoife made with orders and ingredients. Three solid, ordinary uses beat one clever idea you cannot fill with real data. Aoife's order tracker is simple on purpose.
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