Week 4-Instructional Software

Instructional Software today is not here to replace teachers, but to enable them. This software helps in teaching and learning for the kids which makes teaching much more exciting for teachers. Some instructional software is intended to support rather than deliver instructions for teachers. Instructional software can be anything ranging from: computer-assisted learning (CAL); computer-based learning (CBL); or computer-based instruction (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p.78).

Chapter 3 discusses a variety of instructional software such as: instructional games, problem-solving, simulation, learning systems, tutorial, and drill and practice. “Software tools serve many purposes other than teaching; instructional software packages are developed for the sole purpose of supporting instruction and/or learning (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p.78).”

Instructional software helps to give students that 21^st century (Y-Generation) skills to become lifelong learners. Student’s motivation and achievement usually rises much more when instructional software is involved.

Drill and Practice:

•  The purpose of drill and practice is to provide exercises in which students work example items ad receive feedback on their correctness.
•     Purpose of classroom uses: to supplement or replace worksheets, and to help prepare for tests.
•     Activities: flash cards, chart fill-ins, branching drills, and extensive feedback activities.
•      Advantages: immediate feedback, motivates students, and saves teacher time.      

Helpful website:
Helpful website:

Tutorials:

•       The purpose of tutorials is to provide alternative learning strategies and to give instructions when teachers are absent.
•     Purpose of classroom uses: programs that provide an instructional sequence on a topic that could be used as a teacher’s classroom instruction.
•      Advantages: same as drill and practice, offers instructions that can stand alone, can be linear or branching, and self-paced.

Helpful website:

Helpful website:

Simulation:

• ·        The purpose of simulation program is to provide models of real or imaginary systems that teach you how a system works. There are four kinds of simulation software: physical, iterative, procedural, and situational.
  ·         Purpose of classroom uses: to foster exploration and process learning, and to encourage cooperation and group work.
  ·         Advantages: compress time, slow down processes, get students involved, allows observation, and saves money and resources.
  
  
  Helpful website:
  Helpful website:
  
  
  Instructional Games:
  ·         The purpose of instructional games it to add game like rules and/or competition to learning activities. Can often be used to underline a skill or reward.
  ·         Purpose of classroom uses: replace worksheets and exercises; treated as an reward; and teach cooperative group working skills.
  ·         Advantages: appealing formats, increases student motivation, challenges students, and slight violence/aggression.
  
  
  Helpful website
  Helpful website:
  
  
  Problem-Solving:
  ·         The purpose of problem-solving is teaching component skills in problem-solving. Students find this program challenging and interesting as it teaches them problem-solving skills.
  ·         Purpose of classroom uses: teaches students solving strategies, improves student motivation, and encourages group problem-solving.
  ·         Advantages: promotes visualization in mathematics problem solving, prevents inert knowledge and improves student’s interests and motivation.
  
  
  Helpful website:
  
  
   Integrated Learning Systems:
  ·         Integrated learning systems are online systems that provide both computer-based instructions where it tracks and reports students’ progress.
  ·         Purpose of classroom uses: directed and constructivist uses, instructions that meet the needs of students. Also, helps to meet teachers/district account ability requirements.
  ·         Advantages: district-and-state-adopted academic standards, and accountability requirements of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act.
  
  
  Helpful website:
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Reference:
  Roblyer, M. D., & Doering, A. H. (2013). Integrating educational technology into teaching

  (6th ed.). Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon Publishers

Check out for Teaching Today & top software's that are used today in tech: http://t.co/Sc5yP8xLgL & http://t.co/VY91wZ1YSh #ED505UWARAY
— Brittany Lewis (@BrittLew0712) June 25, 2013

Article Critique - One-to-One Computing-Week 3

One to one computing is basically putting a computer in the hands of a student in the classroom. Students are able to research assignments, access to the Internet, work in teams, and able to increase their problem solving and critical skills.

Using computers and technology devices has a greater impact on students. Schools with one to one computing programs had “fewer discipline problems, lower dropout rates, and higher rates of college attendance than schools with a higher ratio of students to computers (Devaney, 2010).” Some schools has realized that learning at a distance is becoming popular and has made it a part of their curriculum requirement.

States such as: Alabama and Florida are taking advantage of this access (one-to-one computing). For example, the project in Maine in the year of 2001 led a successful statewide pilot program. The program lasted 3 years where it showed that the middle school students outperformed the students who were not in the program (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p.24). States are still testing this program, where some schools have been unsuccessful in this area.

Study says, in non-one-to-one computing programs has risen to 69%, and 70% of one-to-one computing programs for students (Devaney, 2010). To be successful in one-to-one computing educators must put learning outcomes first, and utilize this method to define technology. Technology devices should match the learning objectives and the student for maximum results. Below is the experiment on laptops. 

1.       Provide the complete article title and author

Laptops and Fourth-Grade Literacy: Assisting the Jump over the Fourth-Grade Slump by Grimes, D., Hernandez, D.A., Suhr, K.A., & Warschauer, M.

2.       State the intended audience. (What is empirical research and how does it help the classroom?)       

An empirical research is usually data taken from an experiment. Empirical articles are often written in scholarly peer-reviewed journals. Empirical research in the classroom can help explore one’s mind versus depending solely upon raw data. The intended audience for the particular article would be for teachers and parents of a fourth grade student. Based on studies the students with laptops have outstanding written compositions, greater interest in school, and enhanced their learning abilities in laptop literacy.

3.       What is/are the research question/questions or hypothesis/hypotheses?

The research questions are as followed:Researchers investigated the effects of technology (student use of laptop computers) on academic success in the overall language arts department for a two-year period. Also,  can participation in a one-to-one laptop program be used to predict changes in ELA total and subtest scores over the two-year period from third  grade to fifth grade?

4.       Describe the subject (participants) and the procedures (methods) used by the researcher(s)?

The participants included: teachers, students, collected samples of teacher and student artifacts, observed classes, and interviewed teachers. There was a total of 108 participants which was broken down into two groups: control and treatment groups. Both groups were divided into 54 students per classroom where each group had a different instructor each year. The treatment group were the students who participated in the one-to-one laptop program. The control group were the students who were placed in the non-laptop classes. Control group could not have more than six hours per week on computers. The control group had the following access to computers: in-class desktop, computer labs, and mobile laptop carts. When evaluating the scores of the two groups was based off the following criterion: parents education, gender, ethnicity, and ELL status.

5.       What were the conclusions of the researchers? Do you agree or disagree with the conclusions? Support your position.

The treatment group (laptop students) performed better than the control group (non-laptop students). Whereas, writing and literary responses had the best results from the experiment. With that being said researchers think laptops has a small effect on scores increasing.  I agree with the article due to the improvements of technology today.

6.       What suggestions for further research do the authors suggest? What other suggestions for future research would you suggest?

If the sample size was larger, and the study had more diverse students then the results would have scored better. Also, researchers did not have enough gathered data on teachers to provide an accurately information (answers).

Works Cited

Devaney, L. (2010), July 26). Study reveals factors in ed-tech success. eSchool News.

                Retrieved from http://www.eschoolnews.com/2010/06/28/survey-reveals-

                factors- in-ed-tech-success/

Grimes, D., Hernandez, D.A., Suhr, K.A., & Warschauer, M. (2010). Laptops and

                Fourth-Grade Literacy: Assisting the Jump over the Fourth-Grade Slump.

                Journal of Technology, Learning, and Assessment, 9(5). Retrieved June

                17, 2013 from http://www.jtla.org

Roblyer, M. D., & Doering, A. H. (2013). Integrating educational technology into teaching (6th ed.). Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon Publishers.

More information on one-to-one computing Click Here:

Some Disagree About One-to-One Computing. Do you? Click Here:

Tech is an improvement, not an entertainment for the classroom. More info on one to one computing:http://t.co/YJesJpCef8 #ED505UWARAY
— Brittany Lewis (@BrittLew0712) June 18, 2013

ED505-My favorite technology

Technology has grown rapidly today and still is increasing. Students are now using laptops, iPads, iPods, and cellphones in their everyday use. Educators have to maintain an interest in the newly technology to be able to relate to students. Technology has the power in enhancing a student’s success, basic skills and communication skills.

My favorite technology is the Smart Board. You can use the Smart Board to do anything you would like and conduct activities. The Smart Board is like a projector, whiteboard and computer all into one. I use the Smart Board to do the following: demonstrate examples, show videos, work together as a group on class worksheets, web searches, PowerPoint, can be used as a timer for tests, and much more. The Smart Board is like a motivator, and the best part is that you get to save every file you create.

“Learning should be hands-on and experience-based, and that meaningful learning resulted from students working together on tasks related to their interest (Dewey, p.41).” Students love to play around with the Smart Board to do presentations or just to share information. Technology in the class is improving the following: lectures, attitudes, and decreasing the number of drop-outs.