Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet program developed by Microsoft. By entering numerical data into the spreadsheet, the user can organize data and create graphs, statistical reports, and other types of calculations. It can be used on computers with Microsoft Windows and also on Apple Mac computers.
Microsoft Excel was developed in the 1980s in response to another popular spreadsheet program called Lotus 1-2-3. Surprisingly, the first version of Excel that came out in 1985 was not released for the Windows operating system but instead for the Mac. Windows got its version in 1987. The popularity of Excel helped Microsoft become a leader in the field of PC software development.
Tutorials
Learn Excel By Yourself - An
importance of having and mastering MS Excel skills has inspired us to create an
extensive list of Excel learning resources organized by specific user needs and
learning styles:
Basic Excel Tutorial: Some Basic Excel information from the University of South Dakota.
Introduction to Excel 2003: An introduction to Excel 2003 from the University of Texas at Austin.
Excel Tutorials and Tips: Tips and tutorials on Excel from MrExcel.com.
Excel Tutorial: A detailed tutorial of Excel with hints and tips.
Tutorial - Microsoft Office Excel 2003: An Excel 2003 Tutorial from Rutgers University.
Excel Tutorial: An Excel tutorial from the National Computational Science Institute.
Excel 2007: Lessons on Excel 2007 from the Goodwill Community Foundation.
Excel Viewlets and Guides: Excel introduction and review from Sabine Parish School District.
Microsoft Excel Lessons: Excel lessons from Saskatchewan Schools.
Lesson Plans
Excel: Excel tutorials from the school district of Lee’s Summit, MO.
Dr. Christie's Using Spreadsheets in K-12 Classrooms: A site with information, samples, and lesson plans on the use of spreadsheets in the classroom.
Mean, Median, and Mode Project: Description of a 6th grade Excel project from the T.E.A.M. Program in Education Technology at Long Island University.
SOS Lesson Plans: Acid Rain Lesson and Dissolved Oxygen Lesson: Lessons that utilize Excel from the Finger Lakes Institute.
EXCEL-lence: Strategies for using Microsoft EXCEL: A lesson on using Excel to process information for use in presentations by Thirteen Ed Online.
Create a timeline using Microsoft Office Excel: A tutorial on creating a timeline with Excel 2007 by Microsoft.
Spreadsheet Ideas: Activities and lesson plans that utilize Excel by Midwestern State University.
Troubleshooting Sites
Troubleshooting navigation issues in Microsoft Excel: A site by Microsoft Support that offers help for Excel navigation problems.
Excel User Tips: A site to help with common setup problems with Excel.
Troubleshooting Excel Graphing: Information and solutions for common Excel graphing errors from Eastern Illinois University.
Three Ways to Recover a Corrupted Excel Workbook: Three tips on how to recover a damaged or corrupted Excel workbook by the HP Small and Medium Business Center.
Startup Errors In Excel: Information and tips regarding startup errors with Excel by Pearson Software Consulting.
Microsoft Excel Problems and Solutions: This site contains a categorized list of Excel problems and solutions, some common and some rare.
Free Templates
Free Excel Worksheets Downloads: This site contains a long list of free Excel worksheets for small businesses.
Online Excel Tutorials and Innovative Excel Templates: This site contains free Excel templates for personal finance, income, sales, and home loans.
Excel Invoice Template: This site contains a free Excel invoice template.
Free Excel Spreadsheets: This page contains a list of free Excel templates for businesses.
Spreadsheet Zone: This site contains a categorized list of free Excel templates separated into areas such as marketing, IT, accounting/finance, and many others.
Excel Templates for the Classroom: This page contains a list of Excel templates for classrooms, including games and teacher resources.