Instructional Game Software

The topic in Chapter 3 that caught my attention the most was the different types of software programs. There are various types of software that aid in learning these days which include drill and practice, tutorial, simulation, instructional games, and problem solving software. The software that I am most familiar with is the instructional games. In the book, it refers to Arthur’s Math Games which I have personally never heard of, but am definitely going to look into. As a First Grade teacher, my kids absolutely love any time they have on the computer. I even have the computer as one of my literacy stations where they get on Starfall.com and read or watch movies on certain phonics sounds. It has a wide variety of material that goes along with lots of phonics lessons I teach whether it is long or short vowel sounds or even blends. The computer center is probably one of the centers they are most focused at just because it is something different and it is interactive and entertaining, therefore, they enjoy learning more. An instructional game software my kids thoroughly enjoy is Batter-Up. It increases their motivation for Math and they are learning at the same time. However, this is not the only instructional method I use when it comes to the math curriculum. Most of the time, I allow certain students throughout the week to play it when they have made good choices that day or whole week. That way, it gives them an incentive to make good choices, but it is an instructional tool also.

Direct or Constructivist Instruction?

While reading Chapter 2 this week, the topic about learning theories as bases for integration models caught my eye. As I read it, it made me reflect back on my education courses I took at Auburn University. We were always learning about the two different views of teaching styles, directed instruction and constructivist instruction. Directed instruction is based solely on direct instruction of the material to be learned from teacher to child while constructivist instruction is based more on the fact that knowledge is constructed through hands-on activities completed by the children. I am going to have to agree with both instructional methods. First of all, I have used both methods as a means of students’ learning process and seen both succeed. In Auburn, there schools are involved in nothing but a constructivist view of teaching and believe strongly that this is the only way children gain knowledge. When I interned with Kindergarten I was able to put this practice into play. At first, I thought there’s no way these 5 year olds are going to understand about glaciers, the Arctic’s, and sea otters. However, I was proved wrong! We learned about these various creations through reading informational books, looking information up online, and even constructing our very own and hanging them up in the classroom. It was an unforgettable experience for me and I know it was for them as well. Alternatively, this kind of learning normally takes place in different situations than what I am teaching in right now. The socio-economic status of these kids was much higher than what I teach now and the parent’s of each child were thoroughly involved in the education of their child. I do know constructivist teaching can work with my class now, because I have used that teaching method and seen the result, but it’s not as possible to teach in the kind of environment I am in right now on a daily basis like in some other schools such as Auburn. I would love to be able to teach with a constructivist view each day if I had the support that is needed. Lastly, either way of teaching whether it is direct or constructivist, students gain and retain new knowledge especially when you integrate technology in the lesson. So, which view do you use most often or prefer?

Wireless Connectivity

I agree, wireless connections make things so much easier. I am very limited in my classroom because my computers can only be arranged in one space. This arrangement doesn't leave much room for decorating. :0) Also, I feel that wireless connections are safer for classroom environments. You wouldn't have to worry about children tripping over cords and other related objects.

"Convenient" Wireless Connectivity

Technology is an important component of everyday jobs today more so than ever and it continues to develop each day. There are emerging trends in software daily whether it is with cell phones, fax machines, or computers. The more technological advances that are made, the better our educational practices will become. First of all, Chapter 1 talks about wireless connectivity being a trend. I agree with this trend because I think of all the places in our community today that have wireless internet for users with laptop access. This allows for fewer cables for hookup and offers only one “drop” where numerous computers can access the network. There are many hotels and restaurants that have this available for a convenient way for people to utilize the internet. I must say it has been convenient for me at times when I needed to “get away” from a setting and still be able to work on the internet. Also, some schools have these “hot spots” around the building so students or teachers can utilize the internet from anywhere in the school. This makes organizing your classroom much easier to set up and not having to worry about putting your computer in one place in your room for internet access. In the school I interned at, they did not have this “wireless connectivity” yet, therefore, the teacher only had one place to put her computer so she had to rearrange her room according to where her computer was going to sit because she wanted to be able to use the internet. This was frustrating when organizing the classroom because it gave limited space of where to locate her computer. Luckily, with the wireless trend we have more possibilities of how to arrange our classroom without being stuck putting our computer in one specific spot.

Blogging on the first day

Thus far I have enjoyed learning about blogs and how to create one. I think it will be helpful in the future to use it for my communication with my classmates. It was difficult to understand everything at first, but hopefully it was because we were moving at a fast pace and I was unable to really grasp what I was doing exactly. I am excited about learning more this semester about blogs and how to use them.