TRG says:

There is a lot in Chapter 3, so I am going to give you some insights.

So follow the running shoes and you will have the teacher's secrets for this chapter.

Week 5 Textbook Reading Guide

Here is a matrix to help you organize the information in this chapter.

Drill and practice software is often criticized, because it doesn't teach. However, that's the whole point - it's practice.

Figure 3.3 (page 83) provides a good summary and examples of drill and practice software.

• Characteristics
• Criteria for Effective Drill Software
• Benefits

Well designed drill and practice programs should allow user control over the presentation rate. This allows the reflective thinker to take time and for other students to go quickly through the materials that they know and slow down on materials that they need to work through.

Appropriate feedback for correct answers is not to continue to the next screen without telling the students that they are correct.

Some programs provide better reinforcement for the wrong answers. It's no fun to guess correctly in Hangman!

 Tutorial software is very helpful, because multiple tutorials on the same topic, give a variety of explanations. For example, I collected as many tutorials as I could on fractions, a frequent stumbling point for many students.

Tom Snyder software is listed under Simulation software (p.93). However, it is more than this. It is collaborative software and you only need to buy software for ONE computer. My favorite pieces areTaking Responsibility in Choices, Choices , K-4 and any of the Decision, Decision series.

In Self Responsibility, the scenario is that

It's afternoon recess. Your friend convinces you to sneak back into the classroom to play a trick on the teacher. You're going to hide all of her chalk. Your friend gets careless and knocks the teacher's favorite pot off her desk. It shatters on the floor just as the bell rings. As the teacher and your classmates are returning to the classroom, your friend pushes the pieces of the pot under the teacher's desk and heads for his desk. What should you do? Students talk about issues of honesty and friendship as they make choices and learn how to take responsibility.

The package comes with a series of picture cards, so as the scenario plays out based on the students choices, you can build a cartoon strip of the story. The students decide what to do and the computer plays out the consequences of their decisions! It is a fun group activity, with a powerful message. It can be done several times with different consequences.

In Decisions, Decisions, you get a series of booklets for each stakeholder. So in the Environment Decisiion, Decision, there is a booklet for the Mayor's team, a booklet for the businesses team, a booklet for the scientists,etc. Students represent the different points of view and must work together as a team to solve the problem of the town's polluted pond. It combines science and social studies. Still only one computer is needed!

Motivation: the computer is non-judgmental and is never impatient. It can provide instant feedback. Besides it can be private and provide a safe environment for practice.

 Beware the page turner tutorials!

 ILS (Integrated Learning System) - This are large systems complete with extensive management systems for data collection on student performance. Oftentimes these are purchased by administrators for data collection, but often used as babysitters.

Does the Accelerated Reading program fit into this category?

Evaluating Software - who has the time? We have found that we get the most done, when we take a half day and everyone is together. We get all the software loaded ahead of time. Then we make matrices for the content, the standards and grade level. When we find software that we like, we put it on the matrix. If we are not sure about a piece of software, we can ask someone else right there. At the end of the session, we not only know what software we like, but where it fits in the curriculum.

How to save money and still get the software!

In these budget crunch times, there is still a way to provide instructional technology for students. My instructional assistant and I had a small amount of money to purchase vocabulary software for 15 computers. In our research, we included Internet resources. What we discovered was that 50% of the software was available for free on the Net!!

For example, we wanted a TALKING DICTIONARY. The CD was running at $35 a copy and we would need 15 copies. But we found the American Heritage Dictionary online, which provides audio pronunciation for each word. FREE! Now, there's a price we could afford!

CNN newstories were printed with activities in vocabulary, word selection, multiple choice quizzes, sequencing, and conclusions. Or you could watch the video and test your auditory vocabulary.All for free!

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