Sept. 26 Post - Instructional Software

I did not really realize the differences between Drill and Practice software and Tutorial software, so I spent some time focusing on this information from chapter 3.
Here's what I learned. . . .

According to our text, Drill and Practice software is "the most maligned of the software activities." I would have agreed before looking at how to better integrate this kind of software into my teaching. The reason this type of software is so maligned is that it is so misused. The function of drill and practice software is not instruction, but PRACTICE. If used in this way, this type of software has many benefits including opportunity for the effective practice students need to retain new learning, immediate feedback, motivation, and saving teacher time. If teachers use drill and practice software in place of worksheets and/or homework assignments and to help students prepare for tests, they can be of great benefit for students. This type of software doesn't really lend itself toward the constructivist theory of teaching, but it would be helpful in helping teachers meet the student testing standards imposed by No Child Left Behind.

Tutorial Software is a self-contained unit of instruction rather than a supplement to instruction. Students use the software to learn the material without any other help or materials. Most of this type of software is geared toward older students and adults who read well. There are not many good tutorial software programs available because it is so difficult and expensive to design and develop. Criteria for selecting good tutorial software from what is available include programs that
1)require lots of student interaction, 2)allow students to control the rate text appears on the screen and review already viewed material, 3)are able to provide appropriate feedback to short answer responses by students and provide opportunity to try again, and 4)provide good record-keeping and progress reports for the teacher. Tutorial software can be integrated into teaching by providing self-paced reviews of instruction for remediation and independent learning for advanced students.