1. There are so many types of software; how do I know which ones to include in my lessons?
The first step of deciding which type of software to use in lessons, would be to decide which one best fits and would help accomplish the goals of the lesson. Software programs are divided into five different groups, which are, productivity, research, communication, problem solving, and educational. Productivity software, such as, word processing, spreadsheets, presentation, databases, graphic organizers, graphics software, digital audio editing, digital video editing, and multimedia authoring software, is used for the creation of production of materials. These options of productivity software would be great when doing a lesson that students need to gather data and produce a project from that data. Research software, such as, browsers, search engines, and plug ins, are used for students to find information on various subjects. After using research software, students could use the productivity software to create a portfolio of their work. Communication software, such as, e-mail, mailing lists, discussion boards, blogs, wiki, RSS, podcasts, chats, and instant messaging, assists the students with various ways of sharing or collaborating their work with one another. A great way to use this project would be to group the students to complete a project and use communication software for the students to share their portion of the work with one another. Problem solving software, such as, games and simulations are used for a fun and appealing way to teach students about various lessons. Teachers could use games or simulations to make an interesting way to teach a lesson. Education software, such as, drill and practice, tutorials, integrated learning systems, and process tools are used to teach children. The software is used to introduce and instill a new knowledge into the children's minds.
2. I understand why students should use educational software and the Internet, but why should my fourth-grade students learn to use spreadsheet, database, or video editing software?
Spreadsheet, database, and video editing software can be very useful for fourth-grade students. Students could use the spreadsheet program to calculate data into sum, average, count, and multiply. This would be a useful tool for students to complete projects in which lots of numerical data is to be collected. Another way that the spreadsheet can be useful, is in the creation of graphs. After students have collected the data that they need from a project, they can put the data into many different kinds of graphs. This may help with the students' understanding of their data. Databases are used to store unlimited amounts of sets of data. The students can then sort the data by an criteria that they choose. For example, students can enter data about several different types of animals. After the data is entered into the database, students can sort the data by any criteria that meets the questions they are trying to answer. Video editing software can be useful for fourth-grade students as they work in groups on projects. Students can record the steps and results of their project for the class to view. Video editing software makes it easy for students to add or delete things from their video. It also will allow the students to add some special effects, such as fades.
3. How can student use of different types of software help improve scores on state tests?
By using all five divisions of computer software, students are introduced to many different forms of learning. Since every students learns in a different way, it is very possible that students will learn a great deal from one of these software programs, more so than listening to the teacher lecture or model a lesson. By students learning to research and develop their own information, I believe that students develop a different sense of learning.
Lowther, D., & Morrison, G. (2010). Integrating Computer Technology into the Classroom. Pearson Education, Inc
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