Bria Cunningham

March 2, 2018
Software Functions Summaries

Drill and Practice:

This software function gives learners feedback on correctness after working on and
answering problems. The benefits of this software are that it gives instant feedback. It lets the
student know if their answer is correct or not. Motivation is another benefit. We live in a society
that is based around technology, where students are using more of it so having a way to practice
criteria that is used with technology motivates students to want to do it. Another benefit is that it
saves time. Teachers do not have to spend time teaching or grading, and students can do it on
their own while their teacher attend to other students. Some limitations are perceived misuses
such as over use. Teachers may become dependent on drill and practice instead of using it as
well as having teacher to student interaction as well as student to student interaction.
Constructivists criticism is another limitation because they believe it contradicts curriculum. The
criteria for this software is control over the presentation rate. Students should be able to use as
much time as they want on a question and examining the feedback. The answer judging criteria
is that the program must be able to distinguish between correct and incorrect answers for short
answer problems. Another criterion for this software is appropriate feedback for correct and
incorrect answers. Feed back must be simple and quick and there should be more interesting
responses to correct answers, not incorrect ones. In the classroom, drill and practice can be used
to replace worksheets/homework or to prepare for test. Like a way to study.
https://quizlet.com/; quizlet provides flashcard activities and quizzes that gives feedback on
whether your answers are right or wrong.
Tutorial:
Tutorials are like human tutors and are like classroom instruction. They provide all
information and instructional activities. It is similar to drill and practice but get confused
thinking that feedback from drill and practice is the same as explanations from tutorials. The
benefit of tutorials is that they are self-contained and paced instruction. A student is able to learn
what they want to learn and at the pace they want to learn it. The limitations of tutorials are that
they face criticism from constructivist that it is directed instruction and does not allow hands-on
activities and that it only provides one instructional approach. The criteria for tutorials is that
they must require students to give constant, thoughtful responses and give appropriate practice
and feedback. Students should control the pace. Tutorials should provide satisfactory
explanations and examples and keep track of student work. In the classroom, tutorials can be
used as self-paced review, as an alternative learning strategy, and as instruction when a teacher is
not available.
https://www.ck12.org/; this website provide tutorial videos that provides information on vasrious
sumbjects
Simulation:
Simulations are real or imaginary system models. They show how things work and
demonstrate underlying concepts. When using simulations, students can choose their task and the
order of the task. The two distinct types are ones that teach about something and ones that teach
how to do something. The benefits of simulation are that is a short process. Helps students get
involved by requiring interaction and not just observation. Simulations also allow observation of
processes that are complex. The limitations are accuracy because most of them don’t include real
experiences and have imprecise perspectives. Such as, just because you watched a simulation of
learning how to drive a car does not mean you know how to drive a real car and it does not
include accidents and thigs like that. Another limitation is misuse. It may not be necessary to use
them for teaching certain concepts. In the classroom, simulations can be used to replace lab
experiments, field trips or to clarify new topics. I personally think that is should only replace
field trips if necessary because field trips are fun and its nothing like actually seeing the real
thing in front of you.
https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulations/category/earth-science; this website has a variety of
subject simulations that can be used to show how things work. These are simulations that teach
you about certain topics

Instructional Game:
Instructional games are when gaming is paired with education. It is when game drills are
added to drills or leaning activities. They are used by teachers to keep the attention of their
students. Benefits of instructional games are that they make a classroom not too boring and dry.
Students become more interested in learning and are more interested. Limitations of instructional
games are the fact of learning vs. having fun. Games are meant to be fun. Games in an
educational setting can be difficult because students might lose focus because they are having
fun. Teachers have to find a way to make sure students are actually learning while having fun.
Criteria for instructional games are that they have to have appealing formats and activities. They
should be adventurous and have complex levels. Instructional games must be used only for
educational and motivational purposes. They also must consider societal, social, and cultural
aspects. The games cannot be inappropriate, include stereotypes and should highlight positive
messages. In the classroom, instructional games can be used to build teamworking skills, as a
reward or to replace worksheets.
http://www.mathblaster.com/; this gaming website is a math game that looks adventurous
followed by different levels of difficulty.
Problem Solving
 Problem solving software is when teachers directly explain and/or practice steps in
problem solving. Teachers help students obtain problem solving techniques by giving them
problem solving opportunities. The benefits of problem solving are that it improves interest and
motivation because students can practice problem solving activities that they are interested in.
Also, students are learning knowledge and its application simultaneously. They have the chance
to discover things on their own in opposed to being told. The limitations of problem solving are
that the exact meaning is not always clear and there could be negative effects of directed
instruction. In the classroom, problem solving can be used to teach component skills in problem
solving techniques and in small groups such as collaborative problem solving.
https://www.theproblemsite.com/; this website consists of different problem solving activities
for math and science created by other teachers.