software.htmlTEXTMOSSָhh Instructional Software Assignments

Instructional Software Assignments

Major Concepts: How should a teacher Categorize, Find, Select and Evaluate Software?

 NC Technology Competencies that this assignment addresses:

 10.6 - Locate, evaluate, and select appropriate teaching/learning resources and curriculum materials for the content area and target audience, including computer-based products, videotapes and discs, local experts, primary documents and artifacts, texts, reference books, literature, and other print sources.

Instructional Software. Use this link in the Look section of the CROP site to study and review major categories of instructional software and learn about finding, selecting and evaluating instructional software.

Create or find a boldfaced heading in section VII. of your unit plan titled Instructional Software. Give it two boldfaced sub-headings: Cheap Software; Commercial Software. Put the information you find in this assignment under that heading.
 
 

Cheap Software:

  1. After you have read about the specific Internet search engines for finding public domain or shareware programs in the link to instructional software above, use the links provided there to search for such software using one of these search systems. Yes, you could use general purpose search engines such as hotbot.com or lycos.com and search for shareware, but it may take much longer than using the special purpose tools.

    2.  

     
     
     
     
     
     
     

     Find one or more programs that appear to have some relevance for your teaching. Collect enough information that someone else would be able to reach the same web site and download the same program, e.g., name of program, web page address, perhaps any cost associated with shareware programs, and , one sentence or two description of the program. Look for programs that are close to the theme of your unit plan. For both of these activities, put the data that you find on them in part VII of your unit plan. If not related to your unit plan, then find programs related to your area, e.g., elementary or middle level. Put this data in the same word processing file as assignment two below.

     Do not expect a high rate of success in finding a match between a required educational competency and a software program. There are thousands of objectives in our BK-12 curriculum for which there is no specific instructional software. Given the lack of economic incentive to write quality software for a very small market, there probably never will be. It is also very difficult to tell just how well an instructional software program meets your objectives until you have downloaded it and spent time with it.
     

  2. If each of you had your own personal computer, I would make it an assignment to download a shareware, trial or demo instructional software program to your ZIP drive and ask you to run it and evaluate it. Evaluation guidelines are in the Instructional Software page linked above. The campus computer labs will allow you to download files to the My Documents folder on the C drive, but operating system locks prevent you from installing and running the software. Instead, I can only demonstrate it and encourage you to try it on your own as opportunity occurs.

    3.  

Commerical Software

  1. For the Commercial Software heading, find two commercial instructional software programs relevant to your unit plan. Collect enough information that another teacher or school secretary would be able to order the program, e.g., name of program, cost, company, contact information, and one sentence or two description. Put this data relevant to your unit plan in section VII. Make a web link between one or more of the titles that you find and the home pages of the companies that sell those programs.

    2.  

     
     
     
     
     
     
     

    There are several ways to find the necessary information:

      Chapter Nine. Page author: Houghton