Drill and Practice software gives students
the opportunity to “work example items” and see their results quickly to grasp
their strengths and weaknesses (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p.81). By seeing immediately
that their work is incorrect, students avoid reinforcing incorrect methods of
whatever they are learning (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 84) You won’t worry about
losing your flash cards with Flash Card
Machine (http://www.flashcardmachine.com)-
they’re safe online!
Tutorial software is more of an
“all inclusive” tool than a supplemental one. Tutorial software should teach an
entire topic on its own “without any other help or materials” (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p.86). Kids Typing Skills teaches students every
aspect of keyboarding (http://www.rapidtyping.com/best-typing-tutors/kids-typing-skills.html).
Simulation software teaches about something, such as a
virtual chemistry experiment, and or gives a “how-to,” such as a step-by-step
medical procedure (Roblyer
& Doering, 2013, p.90). Simulations allow students to experience, as much
as possible, situations that in real life might be too dangerous, costly, or time
consuming. Many great examples can be
found at http://www.vagueware.com/top-10-simulation-software-for-children-and-teenagers-for-home-and-school-fun/.
For students who enjoy Farmville, Third
World Farmer may get their attention (http://www.3rdworldfarmer.com/).
Instructional Games are a fun way for
students to reinforce concepts they learn about in the classroom. Though
similar to drill-and-practice, instructional games usually have a higher fun
factor (Roblyer
& Doering, 2013, p.95). Back in the 90s we used to love to play Super Munchers, an educational mix
between Jeopardy and PacMan, where the Super Muncher eats things that belong in
a category before the villain gets it. The game can still be downloaded online
(if you’re willing to risk getting a virus along with it!) at http://www.myabandonware.com/game/super-munchers-the-challenge-continues-19x.
A better option might be to check out newer games at http://www.funbrain.com. The site offers
games for numerous K-8 topics, such as math, reading, and social studies.
Problem Solving software is specifically
targeted at teaching problem solving skills, both generally and in content
specific areas, such as math and science (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 99). A
great example is Geometer’s Sketchpad,
a “mathematics visualization
software” (http://www.dynamicgeometry.com/).
Visit http://www.keycurriculum.com/products/sketchpad
to watch a video about the software.
Integrated Learning Systems are very helpful to
students and teachers, allowing for virtual instruction and grade/progress
tracking (Roblyer
& Doering, 2013, p. 102). Check out the Cognitive Tutor software (http://www.carnegielearning.com/specs/cognitive-tutor-overview/)
for a great example of ILS.
Word Processing software, such as Microsoft Word, enables the user to
create pages of text and images, such as simple letters or papers or even
newsletters or flyers (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 114). It is hard to imagine the
days of typing on a typewriter, when the slightest mistake was much harder to
fix. Now it is very easy to copy and paste words or paragraphs to edit and
improve compositions. Word, one of
the most popular word processors, is available at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word/.
Spreadsheet software also is a useful tool to
teachers and students for organizing data, especially numerically (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p.122).
Microsoft also has popular spreadsheet software called Excel: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel/.
What is some of your favorite instructional software? Feel free to comment and share your feedback!
