My newest CD is designed to help you become more proficient in using Microsoft Excel™ to make data an important part of your comprehensive school counseling program. From data-driven decision making, to monitoring progress, to reporting the positive impact you're having on kids -- this CD will demystify how it's done.

With the Data Boot Camp for School Counselors and Administrators, what you see and hear on the videos is what you do. At your fingertips, you'll have access to 30 videos and lots of graphics, tips, tricks, and resourceful links. This straightforward step-by-step approach makes learning how to use Microsoft Excel™ (and a bit of PowerPoint™) as easy and convenient as watching television. Data Boot Camp will help school counseling students, practitioners, administrators, and counselor educators to more easily unlock the power of data so you can more effectively support student achievement.

The content on the CD is equivalent to a full-day workshop in the computer lab.

$18.95 (FREE shipping)

All of these are typically already available on computers:

• Microsoft™ Internet Explorer 5.0+ or similar Browser (FireFox recommended)
• Adobe Flash
• Adobe PDF Reader or similar (Foxit Recommended)
• 512MB or higher of installed RAM
• Speakers or headset (so you can hear the videos)

Unit 1 - Basics

• Basics: This video covers some basic terminology and features of Microsoft Excel™.
   
• Importing Data: Getting existing data (e.g., from your student information system) into Excel.
   
• Column Width. When your data is too long for your column width, you can easily and automatically adjust it. This page tells you how.
   
• Copy and Paste: Another way to get data into Excel.
   
• Manual Data Entry: Quick tips and tricks for manually entering and formatting data into Microsoft Excel™.
   
• Moving Data Around: Learn the basics for navigating Excel and moving data around according to your needs.
   
• Text to Columns: This video shows you how to convert text to columns. This procedure is incredibly useful when you need to split data from one column into two columns. An example of this is splitting first name and last name into two different columns.
   
• Freeze Pane: Have you asked yourself this question yet, "When I scroll down to view data, how do I know which columns I am looking at because the top row with labels are no longer visible?" This is one of those Excel annoyances that does have a quick solution. Watch the video to check it out.

Unit 2 - Data Snooping

• Sorting Data: This video will show you how to do one or more levels of sorting.
   
• Filtering Data: This one shows you how to isolate data by using the filtering function in Microsoft Excel.
   
• Conditional Formatting: Conditional formatting allows you to set rules for cell formatting. If the rules (conditions) are met, then the formatting is applied. You can have up to 3 rules in a cell. For example, you can set conditional formatting so that a cell turns yellow if it contains a value higher than 75 and turns red if it contains a value lower than 50.
   
• Formulas: This video demonstrates how to enter basic formulas and includes a few "work-arounds" as well. I admit, formulas are a bit tricky although you should know about them. The good news is that subsequent videos will show you some easier ways to achieve the same goals. 
   
• Describing Data: Using EZANALYZE, the "Describe" function allows you to obtain percentages for your variables. For example, if you have an "ethnicity" variable, this function will give you the percentage of each ethnic group. You can also calculate descriptive statistics - mean, standard deviation, minimum and maximum scores, and range. For each function, you can select multiple variables.
   
• Disaggregating Data: Using EZANALYZE, this video demonstrates how to disaggregate data. This function allows you to disaggregate a "dependent variable" by one or two "categorical variables." The best example of this would be disaggregating an academic achievement variable (dependent) by ethnicity (categorical) and gender (categorical). You can select multiple dependent variables.

Unit 3- Analyzing Data

• Percent Change: This video shows you how to calculate percent change, format the cell for percentage, and then copy that for an entire set of data.
   
• Pairwise T-test: The T-test assesses whether the means of two groups are statistically different from each other. Using EZANALYZE, we will calculate a T score and P value for the observed difference between two "repeated measures" or paired variables. A bar graph is also automatically generated.
   
• One Sample T-test: The one sample T-test allows you to test for significant difference between an observed group and another known sample (the numeric test value or NTV).
   
• Correlation: Correlation is a statistical technique which can show whether and how strongly pairs of variables are related.
   
• Chi-Square: The chi-square (pronounced ‘kai’ and symbolized as X²) distribution is the most commonly used method of comparing proportions between two categories.  This test makes it possible to determine whether the difference that exists between two groups and their preference or likelihood of doing something is real or just a chance occurrence. For example, are the differences in absences by race statistically significant?

Unit 4 - Charts or Graphs

• Chart Wizard: The Chart Wizard is no longer available in Microsoft Excel 2007. Instead, this video demonstrates how to use the Chart Wizard in Excel 2003™. In addition, the next two lessons will show you how to create charts in in either version in ways that may be even simpler than using the Chart Wizard. 
   
• EZANALYZE Charts: This video demonstrates how to use EZANALYZE to generate or create your chart.
   
• The F11 Trick: One of the neatest keyboard shortcuts in Excel is what I call the F11 trick. the F11 key (at the top of your keyboard) generates bar charts in Excel .. watch.
   
• Trendlines: Trendlines may help students (individuals or groups) get excited about future progress.
   
• Switch Row-Column: Sometimes your data is a bit backwards. For example, when your student names show up on the legend (right side) and the data shows up on the bottom (X-axis). This video helps you turn it around.
   
• Customizing Graphs: Once you have created your graph or chart, you can customize various features such as formats including colors, fonts, backgrounds, and content.  The first video in this lesson shows you how to do this in Excel 2007 and the second video demonstrates the same process in version 2003.

Unit 5 - Copy, Print, and More

• Copy to PowerPoint: How do you copy charts and data from Excel to other programs such as PowerPoint? This lesson shows you how.
   
• Narrated PowerPoint: Imagine sending to your administrators, school board members, parents, teachers, and other stake holders a brief multimedia accountability report that demonstrates the positive impact you have on achievement? Picture your superintendent receiving an email from you with an attachment. She clicks on the attachment and within seconds begins to listen to (and watch) a digital story about your effectiveness. The superintendent enjoys the show better than reading about it on paper and you love it because it takes less time and is more fun to create. This video helps you make it happen.
   
• Narrated Photo Story: Bring your accountability reports to life with a free program called Microsoft Photo Story 3 (click here to get it). This method is very similar to doing narrated PowerPoints although probably a bit easier and with a higher "cool" effect.
   
• Print Options: After you click on Print (CTRL-P), click on Preview to gain access to various print options.
   
• Autocomplete: After entering some data, you can quickly enter similar data by allowing Excel to complete your entry or using a drop-down list

More Tips

A host of resourceful websites to help you get to the next level -- go for it!
 

Sample Videos
(Remember, these samples may take a few moments to load because you are online. However, on the CD, this is not an issue because the videos are all located on the CD itself!)
 
SAMPLE 1
SAMPLE 2