Chapter 11 Reflections

I believe that are many benefits to using educational software and it's come a long way in advancement since I was in school.  Studies have shown "that the use of tutorials increased student learning in mathematics and science and resulted in more positive attitudes about these subject areas" (Morrison & Lowther 2010).  I've witnessed many students getting actively involved in interactive tutorials at the schools I sub at.  At Nags Head Elementary, they use a program called Education City that allows the students to play against each other and compete.  This can increase a students ability in math and even improve mental math on the basic level.  However, no educational program will ever replace the Socratic method of education.

A program I would use in my classroom would be Discovery Education because it has applications and programs designed for all levels of technology, from desktop to tablet.  Also, it has online interactive textbooks that are filled with accurate information.  The site also provides research based activities the teacher can use for his/her class.  One teacher I know received a grant from Discovery, and started using it for her 6th Grade Social Studies class, and it's proven to be very effective.  I observed her class one day, and the teacher assigned them a project based on Islam (they were going over the 3 major religions) and its impact on the world.  Discovery Education provided the students with plenty of information to get started, and a helpful tool in getting them started with their research.  It's a very easy site to navigate, it has whole chapters on each topic with interactive timelines and maps, I thought it was a great website for that class. 

 When I integrate an educational program into a lesson, I won't use it as the primary source of education, because a student can read and absorb the information provided, but it can't explain the motives behind the information.  I would have my class research a topic and compare sources based on the writers motives or point of view.  Then they would discuss the differences and try to understand why there are disparities (NC Essential Standards 2010).  The class could use software to organize their information, i.e. Popplit.com, and then post it on the Internet so it's available for everyone to find.

Bibliography

Morrison, G. and Lowther, D.L. Integrating Computer Technology into the Classroom Skills for the 21st Century.  2010 Pearson Education Boston.

North Carolina Essential Standards 2010.  North Carolina Department of Education.