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Michael D. Eisner College of Education

Educational Software

Sample Software for Class Review and Discussion

(1) General Software Review

In this activity you will be reviewing software that you would find useful in your roll as a teacher. Note, this is a review of software, not websites. Websites can be used only if they have a high level of interactivity and animation such as those at ExploreLearning.com. You may find software on freeware and shareware, or on AppStore for iPad or Android devices.

(2) Formal Software Review

In this activity you will be reviewing software that you would find useful in your roll as a teacher. Note, this is a review of software, not websites. Websites can be used only if they have a high level of interactivity and animation such as those at ExploreLearning.com. Although we have software on our local servers, much of it is antiquated, and students are best served by downloading freeware and shareware.

  • Select one software product for formal review and presentation to the class. Write reviews for each according to the format guidelines provided on the following page.

(1) Description of program (Paragraph)

(2) Basic Information (a) Title (b) Publisher (c) Cost (d) ___shareware ___freeware ___commercial

(3) Target Population
(a) Is this designed for teachers or students to use ?
(b) If students, in what subject and at what grade level ?
(c) Where would this best fit into the curriculum? Subject, Grade level, Academic Ability
(d) Would this software maintain the interest of this population. Explain.

 
(4) Content Goals
(a) What, if any, concept(s) does this program introduce ?
(b) How effective of a job does it do at teaching these concepts?
(c) Compare with traditional techniques for teaching this concept(s). (What, if anything, does this software accomplish that traditional forms of instruction could not do as effectively. Explain)
 
(5) Process Goals
(a) What type(s) of reasoning does this program encourage (rote memorization, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, evaluation, deduction, induction, etc.)?
 
(d) Compare with traditional techniques for stimulating these reasoning skills. (What, if anything, does this software accomplish that traditional forms of instruction generally do not do as effectively. Explain)
 
(6) Lesson Plan.
Write three specific tasks, questions, goals, or projects that you would have your students accomplish or answer after using this software.
 
(7) Summary.
Assuming that you had access to this software, would you use it in your classroom? Explain why or why not.
(3) Formal Presentation of Software: One or two sessions will be scheduled for formal software review. During these sessions you will present your software in small groups or to the class using network sharing software such as Apple Remote Desktop. Once you have decided on software to review, post your decision on the newsgroup as specified in class or on the web-page. first-come, first-served.

 

Make a presentation of your software using the following guidelines

  • Each presentation must be limited to 15 minutes.
  • Your presentations should stress how this software can be used effectively in the curriculum.
  • Do not spend time discussing mechanics (menu structure, etc.) nor shortcomings
  • Illustrate how the software can be used to enhance instruction.
  • Provide your peers with a "hands-on experiences" lesson if at all possible.