Crossword Puzzle Conundrum

This week we were assigned to Excel. I was glad to go through the tutorials because Excel is one of the programs I feel least comfortable with. I know the basics and use it frequently but am not very advanced with it.
When I read the assignment that we were suppose to turn in I was a little confused by it. Crossword puzzle or timeline on excel? I never thought of producing either of those using the application. Since I could see how you could make a crossword puzzle I decided to create one of those. Now prior to this assignment I have made plenty of crossword puzzles but by using online generators. I have always been pleased with the way they turn out so I never have tried any other way. After trying to create a crossword puzzle on excel, I can tell you that I would never stray away from my online generators again. I am not sure if I was missing something but creating a crossword on excel made the process extremely more difficult and time consuming. I think that there is time when thinking and hard work are very important, obviously. This is not one of them. Teachers have so much to do in their day that it is important we find ways to be effective so our time is spent doing the most important thing, teaching our students. Taking the time to try to figure out how to make all your words work in a crossword puzzle seems to be ineffective and time consuming.
I am glad that I was able to go through this experience. This is the part of teaching and education that I love. You have to try new things out and figure out if it works for you and your students. Some will work, some will not. I know that every time I go to make a crossword puzzle my mind will go back to this moment and realize how much technology has evolved helping teachers on the way!