Instructional Software in Middle School Social

StudiesGeorge Phillip

EdTech 541 Summer 2013

Monday, July 1, 13

Instructional Software

• Divided into five categories:

• Drill & Practice

• Tutorials

• Simulations

• Instructional Games

• Problem-Solving Software

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Drill & Practice• Allows learners to work problems or answer

questions and get feedback on correctness (Roblyer, 2013, pg 78)

• Not designed to introduce new content!

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Drill & Practice Advantages

1. Help to memorize specific keywords or concepts.

2. Students move at own pace through content.

3. Receive immediate feedback on performance.

4. Teaches students to take ownership of learning.

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Drill & Practice for social studies

In social studies this can be as simple as flash cards. A teacher can create a set of flash cards for individual students or create a

class page.

Images are links to websites.

Quizlet is a webpage, app, and Chrome extension that you can

create flashcards for your students to practice.

StudyBlue is an alternative to Quizlet.

Image from: itunes.apple.com Image from: http://goo.gl/2qbJw

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Tutorials

• Acts like a human tutor by providing all the information and instructional activities a learner needs to master a topic: information summaries, explanation, practice routines, feedback, and assessment (Roblyer, 2013, pg 78).

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Advantages to Tutorials

1. An asynchronous lesson or unit of study.

2. Can assign different tutorials based on students ability.

3. Self checks built within tutorial to check for understanding.

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Tutorial for social studies

Image from Copy/Paste by Peter Papashttp://goo.gl/qWyAq

A teacher can find lessons here to teach students new content.

You can also set up quizzes at the end of the videos to track students progress.

All feedback is emailed to teacher for further teaching.

Image is link to

website.

If you are interested in “Flipping” your classroom, this is a great place to start. I did the Flip Mastery Model this way and

it worked really well for my students.

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Simulations

• “Model real or imaginary systems to show how those systems or similar ones work or to demonstrate underlying concepts” (Robyler, 2013, pg. 79)

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Advantages to Simulations

1. More engaging for newer generation of students.

2. User placed directly into a situation that allows them to make decisions.

3. Relies on prior knowledge and reasoning to maneuver through activity.

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Simulations for social studies

C H S

This simulation places you in North America in 1628. You explore the various regions of North America as a European explorer and

interact with the Native American Tribes. Your task is to see who has the most powerful culture.Image from: http://goo.gl/9eZ2e

Within this website are more simulations that may meet your needs better.

Image is link to website.

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Instructional Games

• “Increases motivation by adding game rules to drills or simulations” (Robyler, 2013, pg. 79).

• Think Game-Based Learning

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Advantages to Instructional Games

1. Offers competitive gaming and learning in one.

2. More fun in class will help to prevent student turn off.

3. Most students are more engaged by games, so play to their strengths.

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Instructional Games in social studies

Images are links to website.

The goal of Evoke is to help empower people all over the world to come up with creative solutions to our most urgent social problems. In this game, students need to find a creative solution to a problem using as many resources and people as you can in the game. I would use this game if I taught high school world history.

This game can be played online or downloaded onto a PC or Mac. You have two missions you can choose from. You can play the role of 14 year old Nat Wheeler who, after the Boston Massacre, must choose to side with the Loyalists or the Patriots. The second mission is set in Kentucky and Ohio in 1850, where students take on the role of a fourteen year old slave named Lucy. In the mission students escape slavery in Kentucky and navigate to Ohio.

After playing this game, my students had a better understanding of the

struggles of people their own age. It was a great learning experience for

them.

Image from: http://www.urgentevoke.com/

Image from: http://www.mission-us.org/

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Problem-Solving Software

• “Teaches directly (through explanation and/or practice) the steps involved in solving problems or helps learners acquire problem-solving skills by giving them opportunities to solve problems” (Robyler, 2013, pg. 79).

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Problem-Solving Advantages

1. Allows for students to apply knowledge in new situation.

2. Challenges students by forcing them to think more critically and be more creative.

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Problem-Solving Software in social studies

Image from: http://historyengine.richmond.edu/

History Engine is an educational tool that gives students the opportunity to learn history by doing the work of

historians.

In my class, students would use this site to increase their research and writing skills. They

would get a chance to choose a person or topic and run with it. Allowing them to use some of the

21st Century Skills to show understanding. Images are links to website.

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