Note to the teacher: You can incorporate computer literacy into your classes
about budgeting. This activity explores how to do that by
using the most common and basic computer software: Windows
NT, Microsoft Word, Excel, and Netscape.
Activity: Combining Computer Literacy
and Budgeting
Jose Gonzalez, Spanish Education Development
Center, Washington, DC
Instructions
Begin by identifying resources on the
World Wide Web that will provide specific knowledge on local
home costs (try www.realtor.com) and needed income for purchasing
a home (a number of banks have mortgage calculators on their
Web sites). Then create a simple spreadsheet that calculates
students’ monthly expenses. Now the students are in
a position to know how much they need for a down payment
and how much they can save toward it.
Below is a sample spreadsheet, complete
with examples of what students would list in each column:
