Imagine that you are teaching in a school. Select a grade level and
subject area and describe how you would use three different types of
academic software to teach a specific topic.
If I were teaching math in a third grade classroom, there
would be many different types academic software I could use when teaching
fractions. I would use Kidspiration, drill-and-practice software, and
educational games. KIdspiration is a visual way of learning and is great for
the students who learn visually. Two of its many activities are comparing
fractions using fraction tiles and one higher level activity is adding and subtracting
fractions.
The drill-and-practice software will be used to reinforce
what the students have already learned. The students get an immediate feedback
with this software, knowing whether or not they answer the questions correctly.
Some of these types of software keep track of what questions are answered
correctly, so that it knows when to change the level of questioning. I would
use this to practice basic math facts and as a review before you move on to a
different section of fractions or any topic.
I would also use educational games. These present the
content in a game format. Educational games would add fun to the classroom, but
I think many students don’t realize how much they are learning at the same
time. There are many different types of games available to teachers and most
cover more than one topic.
