One of the things we have been learning about this week in Educational Technology is educational software. Educational software can be very beneficial to students if utilized in the right manner. One of the most important aspects of using this software is choosing the appropriate kind for your classroom. The software needs to be high quality and should be tied to the instructional goals we have for our students. It should also be fun and engaging for students to use, while simultaneously enhancing the content we are teaching. I remember when I was in elementary school, two of my favorite educational games were Oregon Trail and Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego. I was actually surprised when I saw these two games listed in our textbook as examples of good educational games to use today (Lever-Duffy 216). My first thought was, "These games are still around?" It's interesting that games I used to enjoy twenty years ago or more are still being played by students today.
I am not yet teaching so I have not had the opportunity to use educational software in the classroom. However, my mom, who is a first grade teacher, actually recommended a website called Starfall to use with my preschool age son to help him learn the alphabet. She uses this website with her first graders, and she says that they really enjoy it. I have explored the site, and I could definitely see myself utilizing it not only with my own children, but also with my future students. The website features reading activities based on where the child is at the in reading process. These stages include: ABCs; Learn to Read; It's Fun to Read; and I'm Reading. Each part of the website includes various activities, songs, videos, and more for students to use to help with the reading process. The content of the site is both educational and entertaining, which I think is the combination needed for quality educational software. Another aspect of this website that I liked is how easy it is to navigate. This is extremely important in order for students to get the most benefits from using it. Everything is easy to find and easy to get to. Children could use this website with assistance or on their own.
This software would be very useful for early elementary teachers. The degree I am pursuing is Special Education, which is one of the groups of students that this site recommends using it with. This website could help me to meet the instructional goals of teaching my students how to read and also teaching them to enjoy reading. This website helps make reading fun, and I think that is such a crucial aspect of teaching kids to read. If it something they enjoy, they will be more likely to spend time doing it. If I teach Special Education at the early elementary level, this is a website I will definitely utilize with my students.
Using this software in the classroom will help me to meet the NETS-T standard 2-Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments. This software will also help my students meet the NETS-S standard 1-Creativity and Innovation and the NETS-S standard 6- Technology Operations and Concepts. This software will allow my students to make good use of a quality technological tool that will improve both their reading and technology skills.
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