Sunday, September 9, 2012

Five Types of Instructional Software

1.  Drill and Practice:  This allows students to practice skills that have been previously taught.  Students receive immediate feedback. An example of this type of software can be found at http://resourceroom.net/math/1timestables.asp#practice .

2. Tutorials:  This type of software explains how to perform a task.  An example of this type of solftare can be found at http://www.internet4classrooms.com/on-line2.htm .

3.  Simulations:  There are many types of simulations.  The basic concept is that students can use this software to simulate "real" objects or situations.  For example, if a learner wanted to learn how the stock market works, (s)he could go to http://www.howthestockmarketworks.com .

4.  Instructional Games:  This type of software adds rules and competition to drill and practice.  By doing so, students become motivated to win.  ``An example of this type of software is http://www.superteachertools.com/jeopardy  .

5.  Problem-Solving:  This type of software presents a situation for students to find the solution.  Most of the time, math and science skills are the ones in problem-solving software.  But, the goal of problem solving is to cause the learner to think.  An example is http://criticalthinking.com .

1 comment:

  1. I like your link to internet4classrooms tutorials. I will definitely try them out.

    ReplyDelete