LIVING IN IT ERA

Learning Module 2

INSTRUCTIONAL SOFTWARE FOR

21ST CENTURY TEACHING

"Ethics change with technology."

– Larry Niven
 Technology in Teaching and Learning 2
Module Overview

In this learning module you will learn more about various

types of instructional software available for leaching and
learning process. The types, benefits and tips in teaching
integration of various instructional software will be given
emphasize.

Learning Outcomes
At the end of this module, you are expected able to:
1. Identify characteristics, sources, and roles of instructional software products
2. Analyze an instructional situation that is using drill and practice functions, tutorial
functions, simulation functions, the instructional game functions problem-solving
functions, and describe the integration strategy, selection criteria, benefits, and
limitations of software for the situation.

Timeframe: 2-3 weeks

Tips for Studying at Home Effectively
1. Try Active Studying
2. Get A Good Night's Sleep
3. Study at The Right Time
4. Have A Designated Study Area
5. Eat Properly
6. Get Chores Out of The Way
7. Create A Timetable
8. Use A Timer

Unit 2.1: DRILL-AND-PRACTICE and

TUTORIAL FUNCTIONS
Activating your Prior Knowledge:
WHAT YOUTUBE IS DOING FOR EDUCATION
YouTube's video empire can lead a curious person to a lot
of different things: a tutorial on how to build a terrarium, a
mock music video from Miley Cyrus, a personal video blog
from a popular YouTuber. The website is filled with
information, from professionals to amateurs. Therefore, it
just makes sense for the world of education to tap the
treasure chest.

YouTube continues the trend towards opening up education to the masses. The amount
of shared educational content on the site, along with MOOCs and other free online
courses, is an indication of how the site allows free forms of education to flourish (Harven,
2015)
Do you find youtube useful not only in terms of entertainment but also educational?
Why?
Share your personal experience wherein you use youtube in your academics?
What are the possible pros and cons of this website in the educational system?

Expanding your Knowledge!

BASIC INFORMATION ABOUT

INSTRUCTIONAL SOFTWARE
Instructional software is a general term for computer
programs used specifically to deliver instruction or
assist with the delivery of instruction on a topic.
Although tool software, such as word processing and
spreadsheets, can also enhance or support instructional
activities, this text differentiates between software tools
and instructional software. Software tools serve a
variety of purposes other than teaching; instruction
software packages are used solely to support instruction
and/or learning.

DRILL-AND-PRACTICE TEACHING FUNCTIONS

Drill-and - practice software functions are exercises where students work with example
items, usually one at a time, and receive feedback on their accuracy. The programs vary
considerably in the type of feedback they provide in response to the student input.

Types of Drill Functions

1. Flashcard activity— This is the most basic drill-and-practice function,
arising from the popularity of real-world flash cards. A student sees a set
number of questions or problems, presented one at a time.
2. Chart fill‑in activities— In this kind of practice, students are asked to
complete a whole set of answers (e.g., multiplication facts) by filling in a chart,
usually on a timed basis, to test for fluency.
 3. Branching drill— The software moves students to advanced questions in
branching drills, a more sophisticated form of drilling and practice after they
get a number of correct questions at some predetermined level of mastery.
4. Extensive feedback activities— Students receive more than just the
correct/incorrect feedback in these drills. Some programs give detailed
feedback about why the student got the wrong problem.
Benefits of Drill and Practice
1. Immediate feedback—When students practice skills on paper, they often do
not know until much later whether or not they did their work correctly.
2. Increased motivation - Computer-based practice will, in such situations,
inspire students to do the work they need. Computers don't get irritated or look
upset when a student gives an incorrect answer.
3. Saving teacher time— As teachers do not need to present or rate drills and
activities, students can practice individually while the instructor addresses
other student needs
Using Drill and Practice in Teaching
Teachers may take advantage of the benefits of drill-and-practice software to give
students practice using isolated skills. Follow the integration strategies and
guidelines shown in Table 3.2 to make the best use of drill- and practice- programs.

TUTORIAL TEACHING FUNCTIONS

Tutorial software is a complete instructional sequence on a subject, similar to instruction
in a teacher's classroom. Normally, this instruction is supposed to be a self-contained
instructional structure, rather than an extension to other instruction. Students should be
able to learn the subject without any further assistance or information. Tutorials are true
teaching material, unlike other types of instructional software.
Types of Tutorial Teaching (Alessi & Trollip, 2001)
1. Linear tutorial— A simple, linear tutorial gives all learners the same
instructional sequence of clarification, practice, and input, regardless of their
performance differences.
2. Branching tutorial— A more complex, branching tutorial leads learners
through different paths based on how they answer questions and whether they
demonstrate mastery of other sections of the content.
Benefits of Tutorials
 As tutorial involves drill and practice tasks, useful features include the same as for
drills (immediate learner input, inspiration, and time savings) with the added
advantage of providing a self-paced instructional experience.
Using Tutorials in Teaching
In light of emerging approaches such as the flipped classroom model, self-
instructional tutorials are becoming more effective and easier to create due to
modern technology such as screencasting, or video recordings of acts on a
computer screen, typically followed by narration (Stagg, Kimmins, & Pavlovski,
2013).

Yahoo’s original name was a mouthful

. The original URL for Yahoo was akebono.standford.edu.

The name Yahoo was selected because it was derived from Gulliver’s
Travels slang, “Yahoo” which was a fictional race of beings in the book.

-- https://www.thefactsite.com/top-100-technology-facts/

Synthesize your Knowledge

Now that you have read the module's content let us now try to check if you really absorbed
its core ideas. Try to mentally answer the following questions, which will help you assess
your reading progress.
1. What are the types of drill functions?
2. Differentiate linear and branching tutorial,

CONGRATULATIONS!
You have finished the first lesson of this module; you may now
proceed answering the Activity 2.1 to apply what you have learned
and to develop your ability to think critically.
For Questions, You may send personal message to my messenger
account or send an SMS to my cell phone number. Thank you!
 Unit 2.2: SIMULATIONS,
INSTRUCTIONAL GAME AND PROBLEM-
SOLVING FUNCTIONS
Activating your Prior Knowledge:
HOW VR IN EDUCATION WILL CHANGE HOW
WE LEARN AND TEACH
Education is the foundation for a stable society, and from
the very beginning, the transmission of knowledge has
been a top priority for civilizations. People are always
searching for ways to make the transfer of information
simpler, quicker, and more effective (Babich, 2019).

We have a chance to allow better learning through technology in the digital device age.
Virtual Reality ( VR) tends to be the inevitable next step in educational evolution.

Expanding your Knowledge!

 SIMULATION TEACHING FUNCTIONS
A simulation is a computerized representation of a real or
imagined system intended to demonstrate how the
system works. Unlike tutorial and drill-and-practice
exercises in which the instructional framework is
integrated into the kit, learners who use simulations
typically have to select the tasks to be done and the order
to do them.

Types of Simulation
1. Simulations That Teach About Something - Alessi and Trollip (2001) further
split "simulations teaching something about" into two other categories: physical
simulations and iterative simulations.

a. Physical simulations. Such simulations allow users to control the objects or

processes on the screen that are depicted. More recent simulation software
inquiries include the use of tridimensional models (Kim, 2006).

b. Iterative simulations. Such simulations speed up or slow down processes that

typically occur either so slowly or so quickly that students can not see the events
unfold. This form is referred to as "iterative" by Alessi and Trollip (2001), since
students can run it over and over with different values, repeating the results each
time.

2. Simulations That Teach How to Do Something - The "how to" simulations are
divided by Alessi and Trollip (2001) into procedural and situation forms. These
categories are again focused on how users can communicate with them.

a. Procedural simulations. Such exercises teach the correct sequences of steps for
such procedures to be carried out. These include diagnostic programs in which
students try to identify sources of medical or mechanical problems and flight
simulators in which students simulate aircraft or other vehicles.

b. Situational simulations. These programs have hypothetical problem scenarios

for students and ask them to respond. Some simulations allow for a variety of
successful strategies, such as allowing students to play the stock market or run
businesses.
Benefits of Simulations
1. Compresses time or slows down processes
2. Gets students involved
3. Makes experimentation safe
4. Makes the impossible possible
5. Saves money and other resources
6. Allows repetition with variations
7. Allows observation of complex processes

INSTRUCTIONAL GAME TEACHING FUNCTIONS

Technology-based games are bridging the computer, entertainment, and educational
worlds in an attempt to provide enjoyable and successful learning. Young et al. (2012)
describe digital games as those that concentrate on gaining knowledge and cultivating
academically valuable "mental habits."
But more simply defined, instructional games are software products that add game-like
rules and/or competition to learning activities.

Benefits of Instructional Games

While they can have the same actual purpose as a drill or simulation, games offer
opportunities for teachers to take advantage of the inherent willingness to play to get
students to spend more time on a curriculum subject. Many educators and researchers
strongly believe that video games contain unique promises to enhance instructional
methods in the classroom and make learning more enjoyable and inspiring (Ash, 2011;
Corbett, 2010).

PROBLEM-SOLVING TEACHING FUNCTIONS

While simulations and interactive games are widely used to help teach problem-solving
skills, problem-solving software is particularly designed for this purpose. Problem-
solving software functions that focus on fostering component skills or approaches to
general problem-solving capabilities, or give opportunities to practice in solving various
types of content-area problems.
Approaches in Problem-Solving
 1. Content-area problem-solving skills— Some problem-solving software
focuses on teaching skills in the content area, especially in math and science.
For example, Seo and Bryant (2012) discuss using a program called Math
Explorer to help students develop a structured approach to addressing word
problems in mathematics. These are what might be called "environments" for
problem-solving.

2. Content-free problem- solving skills— Several more educators believe

that general problem-solving capacity can be taught specifically in its
component techniques and sub-skills (e.g., remembering information, splitting
a problem into a series of steps, or predicting results) through detailed guidance
and practice.

Benefits of Problem-Solving Software

1. Promotes visualization in mathematics problem-solving. Research
results in mathematical problem-solving skills tend to support the hypothesis
that this software improves the critical thinking skills of the learners.
2. Improves interest and motivation. Students are more likely to engage in
activities which they find fascinating and motivating to solve problems.
3. Prevents inert knowledge - Students at the same time are mastering both
the concept and its implementation. Students often obtain chances to explore
ideas themselves, which they often find more inspiring than simply being told
about.

THE FIREFOX LOGO ISN’T A FOX

There is a common misbelief that because the browser is named Firefox,
the logo must be a fox.
Surprisingly, the cute furry creature in the logo is actually a red panda!

-- https://www.thefactsite.com/top-100-technology-facts/

Synthesize your Knowledge

Now that you have read the module's content let us now try to check if you really absorbed
its core ideas. Try to mentally answer the following questions, which will help you assess
your reading progress.
 1. Discuss the types of simulations briefly.
2. What are the benefits of using instructional games?
3. Enumerate the benefits of problem-solving.

CONGRATULATIONS!
You have finished the first lesson of this module; you may
now proceed answering the Activity 2.2 to apply what
you have learned and to develop your ability to think
critically.
For Questions, You may send personal message to my
messenger account or send an SMS to my cell phone
number. Thank you!

Activity 2.1
INSTRUCTIONAL SOFTWARE

Name: ___________________________________ SCORE:

Course & Section: __________________________
Date: ____________________________________

Discuss the relative advantage of integrating instructional software in teaching. Limit

your answer in 3-5 sentences.

1. Drill-And-Practice Teaching Functions

2. Tutorial Teaching Functions

 Activity 2.2
INSTRUCTIONAL SOFTWARE

Name: ___________________________________ SCORE:

Course & Section: __________________________
Date: ____________________________________

Directions: Discuss the relative advantage of integrating instructional software in

teaching. Limit your answer in 3-5 sentences.
1. Simulation Teaching Functions

2. Instructional Game Teaching Functions

3. Problem-Solving Teaching Functions

LIVING IN IT ERA