According to Roblyer & Doering (2007) there are five different types of instruction software strategies they are: drill and practice, tutorial, simulation, instructional game, and problem solving. These skills are leveled on Webb's Depth of Knowledge, starting with your most basic software to your more advanced critical thinking.
Drill and Practice is designed to give students quick feedback on basic skills. Drill and practice skills are used to develop memorization of certain skills and give the students immediate feedback of it they got the answers correct. This type of practice could be used for vocabulary words, multiplication facts, map practice. One website I have found successful in my classroom is Shepards Software for map practices of various countries. I like this site because it continue to progress the students from level 1 to level 5. Its starts at the Beginner and advances to Expert. So it continues to drill and practice the students on their countries on different levels. This was actually one of the ways I learned many of the countries in most continents when I was in college because I drilled and practiced.
Tutorial software is used to teach students the materials on their own. The students move at their own pace and continue to take assessments and complete activities to show mastery of specific topics. One of the websites I have experimented with in the tutorial aspect is USA TestPrep. USA TestPrep is a website that can be designed by standard and element of a content. The software provides teachers with access to video clips, mini quizzes, puzzles, explanation, and full assessments on specific elements. Students can log on to USA test prep and become familiar with the element on their own time. The teacher can also limit the amount of times the student can take the assessment. I like this website, and a number of teachers at my school have had success with this site. The only downfall of this site is that your school must subscribe to this site to have access to the materials. Another downfall, is that there can be some errors in alignment to the curriculum. This site should not be used to solely teach students, but as supplimental.
Simulation software is used to teach students how to follow steps in order to complete a task within the classroom. This is not one type of software I have a lot of experience with, but I know the Federal Reserve has come out with a lot of simulation types of software for the highschool economics class (that I do not teach), but it requires students to follow steps to understand key concepts. One simulation software that I would like to make available would be Congress for Kids because government concepts and the interworkings of our government are extremely complicated for Middle School students to grasp. This site is amazing because it gives the steps of the 3 branches of government and even the election process. What a perfect resource during an election year!
Instructional Game Software allows students to play games about the content and allows them to play the game while learning about specific topics. I have had a hard time with this one myself because it is hard to find games that align with the standards. I have found one game for Georgia history but have not tried it yet in my classroom because I am worried it won't make sense to my students. This particiular game is to take my students back in time and experience Georgia History. Georgia Flashback is a game I have considered introducing my students to. It literally is like traveling in a time traveling machine. Has anyone else experienced any other social studies instructional games that are beneficial to their students?
Problem-Solving software is used to teach problem solving skills to students. These types of software should incompass all of the other types of software along with it. I believe there is probably a limited amount of resources available for students to use in Social Studies but easier to create for math and science. I do not have any resources personally I currently have access to for problem solving skills that I am aware of in my content. However, according to the text, one tool students can use to solve geometry problems is a software called Sketchpad.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Web 2.0 Reflections and Links
I have begun my adventures into using technology for educational purposes. I am experimenting with resources I have never used before.
Glogster is one I am familiar with and was very impressed when I saw it at a Social Studies conference and thought this would be an awesome way to engage my students in the classroom. One of their assignments for 8th grade Georgia History was to create a glog on the Dahlonega Gold Rush. I ran into issues in the classroom and did not use the edu version of glogster. So, I allowed my students to make accounts and begin their glogs. Low and behold not realizing that other people had made glogs on EVERYTHING you could imagine. Then, in the middle of the assignment, when students were about finished, Glogster closed down their site temporarily to "clean up the site". I was turned off and have not tried Glogster since, but I enjoyed my project. I may try this again some day in the future using the education version. But, check out my glog in the meantime:
http://celestetfrey.edu.glogster.com/georgiabecomesastate/
Animoto is a new site to me and I thought it was awesome. This is a resource I would impliment into my classroom because it would allow the students to make quick snap shots on a certain topic. I enjoyed creating my animoto. However, in the instructions of the assignment I was thrown off by not being able to use copyrighted pictures. As a history major it was hard to use "copyright/creative" free pictures because it did not actually depict the true event. For instance, I tried to depict the French and Indian War so it just made me think more creatively when it came to how I was going to show the war. Check out my video on the Causes of the American Revolution:
http://animoto.com/play/sm9tpcKOFLQ2X7zVoEY4dg
For my third and final adventure with technology for my Web 2.0 assignment, I was familiar and excited to see voki as one of our choices. I created my avatar of Lyman Hall, and once I was ready to publish my avatar, the website informed me that I couldn't publish him because I did not have voki classroom. They wanted me to sign up for an account and provide my credit card information. I could not find a way around this, did anyone else create a voki successfully? Then I tried Fakebook. I created a Fakebook for George Walton and it refused to save and my work was deleted. Then, I tried to create a Tikatok Book, which I thought was really neat and excited to publish. When I finished, my book had not saved and was completely deleted. I assume the reason for my technology disfunctioning was that my husband and I were on the internet at the same time. So, my internet was not working as strong. I gave up for the evening, and decided to try again in the morning after my frustration. I was successful today and recreated my tikatok book. The Tikatok book is a resource I would implement into my classroom. I really enjoyed it. Check out my tikatok:
http://www.tikatok.com/view/book/reasons-for-the-american-revolution/unlock/true
Some of my issues are typical issues that students will encounter in the classroom daily. This is normal when working with technology. The best thing is to be patient and keep trying!
Glogster is one I am familiar with and was very impressed when I saw it at a Social Studies conference and thought this would be an awesome way to engage my students in the classroom. One of their assignments for 8th grade Georgia History was to create a glog on the Dahlonega Gold Rush. I ran into issues in the classroom and did not use the edu version of glogster. So, I allowed my students to make accounts and begin their glogs. Low and behold not realizing that other people had made glogs on EVERYTHING you could imagine. Then, in the middle of the assignment, when students were about finished, Glogster closed down their site temporarily to "clean up the site". I was turned off and have not tried Glogster since, but I enjoyed my project. I may try this again some day in the future using the education version. But, check out my glog in the meantime:
http://celestetfrey.edu.glogster.com/georgiabecomesastate/
Animoto is a new site to me and I thought it was awesome. This is a resource I would impliment into my classroom because it would allow the students to make quick snap shots on a certain topic. I enjoyed creating my animoto. However, in the instructions of the assignment I was thrown off by not being able to use copyrighted pictures. As a history major it was hard to use "copyright/creative" free pictures because it did not actually depict the true event. For instance, I tried to depict the French and Indian War so it just made me think more creatively when it came to how I was going to show the war. Check out my video on the Causes of the American Revolution:
http://animoto.com/play/sm9tpcKOFLQ2X7zVoEY4dg
For my third and final adventure with technology for my Web 2.0 assignment, I was familiar and excited to see voki as one of our choices. I created my avatar of Lyman Hall, and once I was ready to publish my avatar, the website informed me that I couldn't publish him because I did not have voki classroom. They wanted me to sign up for an account and provide my credit card information. I could not find a way around this, did anyone else create a voki successfully? Then I tried Fakebook. I created a Fakebook for George Walton and it refused to save and my work was deleted. Then, I tried to create a Tikatok Book, which I thought was really neat and excited to publish. When I finished, my book had not saved and was completely deleted. I assume the reason for my technology disfunctioning was that my husband and I were on the internet at the same time. So, my internet was not working as strong. I gave up for the evening, and decided to try again in the morning after my frustration. I was successful today and recreated my tikatok book. The Tikatok book is a resource I would implement into my classroom. I really enjoyed it. Check out my tikatok:
http://www.tikatok.com/view/book/reasons-for-the-american-revolution/unlock/true
Some of my issues are typical issues that students will encounter in the classroom daily. This is normal when working with technology. The best thing is to be patient and keep trying!
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Week 2 Hot Topic Debates
Should students be able to play games (software) in school?
I believe this can become a positive and a negative within an educational setting. Stated in the text, there are many positives to integrating game software into the classroom. One of the points made by Roblyer and Doering (2007) is that game software can provide skills needed for problem solving skills. Game software also gains the students attention and allows them to become engaged in the content. However, while choosing a gaming software for classroom use, teachers need to be aware of the software in all aspects and set guidelines for students. Teachers should also approve a software that has set guidelines and restrictions (Roblyer & Doering, 2007). Gaming softwares can be used a motivators and rewards within the classroom. I actually have a teacher in the room next to me that has provided her students with a list of resources of math game websites and one of their rewards for her is 10-15 computer time on the list of resources she prescribed for them. The students truly enjoy the choice to pick which game they wish to play, and the amazing aspect of this is that students are learning.
However, some of the down falls of computer software/games in the classroom can be overuse. One of the other teachers in my school also had an experience with this and she over-relied on the computer software to teach the students the content. While forgetting all of the other techniques she had learned as a teacher, she used the software to teach the students. Her test scores dropped dramatically, and after some of her reflections back on that school year she realized she relied too heavily on the software. Also, some of the negatives I have noticed with some of these softwares are that they do not follow the curriculum and standards fully. Yes, they touch on aspects of the content, but don't fully develop the content or standard. Some softwares are completely wrong in their assumptions to try and develop the content.
Celeste Deck
I believe this can become a positive and a negative within an educational setting. Stated in the text, there are many positives to integrating game software into the classroom. One of the points made by Roblyer and Doering (2007) is that game software can provide skills needed for problem solving skills. Game software also gains the students attention and allows them to become engaged in the content. However, while choosing a gaming software for classroom use, teachers need to be aware of the software in all aspects and set guidelines for students. Teachers should also approve a software that has set guidelines and restrictions (Roblyer & Doering, 2007). Gaming softwares can be used a motivators and rewards within the classroom. I actually have a teacher in the room next to me that has provided her students with a list of resources of math game websites and one of their rewards for her is 10-15 computer time on the list of resources she prescribed for them. The students truly enjoy the choice to pick which game they wish to play, and the amazing aspect of this is that students are learning.
However, some of the down falls of computer software/games in the classroom can be overuse. One of the other teachers in my school also had an experience with this and she over-relied on the computer software to teach the students the content. While forgetting all of the other techniques she had learned as a teacher, she used the software to teach the students. Her test scores dropped dramatically, and after some of her reflections back on that school year she realized she relied too heavily on the software. Also, some of the negatives I have noticed with some of these softwares are that they do not follow the curriculum and standards fully. Yes, they touch on aspects of the content, but don't fully develop the content or standard. Some softwares are completely wrong in their assumptions to try and develop the content.
Celeste Deck
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Week 1 Introduction
Hello everyone! My name is Celeste Deck. I am currently a middle school Social Studies teacher in Georgia for grades 6th, 7th, and 8th. I am starting my third year of teaching. I am seeking a MEd. with a concentration in History. I currently have a bachelors in History Education from North Georgia College and State University and an associates degree in Social Science Education from Gainesville State University. I have a wonderful husband that is a Drill Sergeant in the US Army and 3 sweet dogs: Honey, Harley, and Huskers.
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