Chapter Outline

SOFTWARE EVALUATION

I. Introduction

1. The computer has many purposes in the classroom, and it can be utilized to help a student in all areas of the curriculum.
2. Computer-assisted instruction (CAI) refers to the use of the computer as a tool to facilitate and improve instruction.

II. Tutorial Programs

1. A tutorial tutors by interactive means, by having a dialogue with the student. receiving feedback and each tutorial lesson as a series of frames, with each frame posing a question for the student.

III. Simulation Programs

1. Students take risks in simulation programs without facing real-life consequences.
2. Students can use simulations to perform and repeat experiments.
3. Students can apply classroom learning in more realistic situations with simulations.
4. Oregon Trail is a classic example of a simulation program and allows the user to simulate a journey on the Oregon Trail, with various conditions and hardships.
5. Virtual Labs: Light and Virtual Labs: Electricity are simulation programs that let students safely run virtual laser experiments that would be dangerous and impractical in the real world.
6. Decisions, Decisions is a simulation social studies software program that focuses on various areas of social studies.

IV. Drill and Practice Programs

1. In 1963, Patrick Suppes and Richard Atkinson produced drill and practice software on a mainframe computer.
2. Drill and practice software displays a problem on the screen, gets a student response, and gives immediate feedback.
3. In the 1970s, the microcomputer began to be widely produced, and drill and practice software accounted for 75% of all educational software developed at the time.
4. In the 1980s, educators argued that drill and practice software was overused and did not stimulate higher-order thinking.
5. Today's drill and practice software is more sophisticated and frees teachers and students to do more creative work in the classroom.
6. Drill and practice software differs from tutorial software in that it helps students utilize and remember skills they have previously been taught, while tutorials teach new material.
7. The typical drill and practice program design includes four steps.
8. Drill and practice programs handle incorrect responses in many ways, including by telling students to try again, beeping, displaying the correct response, or giving hints.
9. Game programs usually involve fantasy situations with some sort of competition, and are classified as either entertainment or educational software, with the game serving as motivation, and the major goal is to play the game.
10. Most CAI programs use a game format that ranges from drill and practice to logic programs, for example, Reader Rabbit's Complete Learn to Read System-School Version for primary grades.
11. Many educators believe that CAI programs should be designed as games, because games are popular and involve active mental and physical participation of the players.
12. Most CAI programs incorporate more than one kind of software in their design, combining elements of tutorials, drill and practice, simulations, and games.

V. Computer-Managed Instruction

1. CMI differs from CAI in that it focuses on the needs of teachers, helping them manage the learning of students.
2. The computer in CMI manages instruction, keeps track of student test scores, attendance records and schedules, and offers diagnostic-perspective instruction in all curriculum areas.
3. CMI is based on the underlying principle that all students can learn, if they proceed at their own pace and are given instructions and materials.
4. CMI can be a comprehensive program for one or more areas of the curriculum.
5. At the beginning of most CMI programs, students take a pretest to pinpoint areas of weakness, then given a prescription for seeing the teacher and getting a customized program, with status reports available for the teacher.
6. An example of a CMI is ClassWorksGold, a stand-alone program, which is designed for pupils in K-8 and helps teachers test students, evaluate student progress, and prescribe work.
7. Elements of CMI are being incorporated into drill and practice and tutorial software.
8. CMI is sound but in practice, poses some problems.

VI. Public Domain Software

1. Public domain software offers an affordable alternative to commercial software.
2. Public domain software can be legally copied and shared with other users with no restrictions on use.
3. Public domain software is not copyrighted, as authors choose not to seek formal rights or royalties.
4. Public domain software is distributed by electronic bulletin board services (BBBs) and software vendors, or downloaded from a commercial service such as American Online or from the Internet.
5. Public domain software can be useful, as professional programmers and teachers write these programs in their free time.
6. Shareware is software distributed on a trial basis through BBBs and other means using the honor system, may be purchased once a user registers to use it, and may or may not be copyrighted.

VII. Software Selection: A General Guide

1. Choosing good software is an eight-step process. See the software evaluation checklist on p. 236 and Transparency 10.1.
2. Additional considerations in choosing software are software and hardware quality, manufacturer greed, technical incompetence in creating products, and lack of instructional design.

VIII. Guidelines for Setting Up a Software Library

1. Consult the school librarian for knowledge on cataloging and advice on timesaving techniques.
2. Choose the location for the collection wisely.
3. Use a database software program to keep record of the software.
4. Catalog the software.
5. Decide how the software is to be stored.
6. Protect the collection from dust, dirt, and magnetic forces.
7. Separate the computer disks from the documentation and serial numbers for security reasons.
8. Devise a set of rules for software use.
9. Create a policy and procedures manual.

IX. Learning Theories and Technology Integration

1. Educators agree there has to be a change in education to help individuals achieve optimal learning through advances in technology.
2. Learning theories attempt to explain how an individual acquires knowledge and what factors contribute to learning.
3. Using teaching techniques with a solid theoretical base makes the computer a more effective tool.
4. When evaluating software, it is important that the software includes elements of one or more learning theories.
5. Theories such as behaviorism, cognitive theory, constructivism, and situated cognition have been used to investigate the effects of computers on learning and teaching, with no clear agreement on which approach is best.
6. Interest has centered on the teacher-directed approach and the constructivist approach.