Software Selection & Evaluation

5 important evaluation criteria:

1) Installation

                Being practically technologically illiterate, I need something that is easy.  First and foremost, one must install a program in order for it to work.  I would need instructions written in the most elementary fashion in order to successfully install.

2) Help Features

                I would need to know that there is an answer to any question I might have about the program.  Often times, a help button is available, but provides no help at all.  I want to be able to type in something as simple as one word and be given several options.  The more words I type, the clearer the options should be.  Then, if I could do it, I know that anyone else on this earth could do it.

3) Grade Level

                Students learn at different paces.  I wouldn’t necessarily want the program to be categorized by grade but by successful completion and interpretation.  I could have a 12^th grader working at a 10^th grade pace.  It wouldn’t be fair to have the 12^th grader working on a 12^th grade program.  Sometimes we all have to take a step back and review.  Maybe that’s all my 12^th grader would need.  He/she could then progress through the levels and eventually reach the same level as many of his/her peers.

4) Active Learning

                If the student isn’t actually learning anything, it isn’t worth the time or money.  School is about learning and progressing.  Games can be played at home, educational activities to help build self-confidence and promote quality learning will be what I’d look for.

5) Hardware Compatibility/Cost

                Most schools in my community are struggling and have outdated equipment.  It’s hard to get funding for upgrades.  Many schools are just trying to cope with bills and building upkeep.  So, any program that I might choose would likely have to work in old equipment.  In this case, I think that hardware compatibility and cost go hand in hand.

Academic Software Choices

Figures of Speech

This is a middle-high school program that isn’t grade specific and will help with skills in reading and writing.

Speedstudy – English Composition

This is a middle-high school program that isn’t grade specific and will help with the creation of writing projects.

Speedystudy – English Spelling

This is a middle-high school program that isn’t grade specific and will boost vocab and spelling skills without the comforts of spellcheck.

Module 6 - Digital Tools

Digital Technology in My Classroom

1) Computer

2) Scanner

3) Data Projector

4) Elmo (What I call a view master)

5) USB Flash Drive

6) Headphones

As an English/Language Arts teacher, my classes will be required to read several novels and write multiple papers.  Use of computers to type notes and reports will be necessary.  The world has come a long way since I learned to type of an old black, manual typewriter!  I don’t think my fingers would have the strength, today, to punch those keys.

A scanner would be nice to be able to scan and email homework to students, should they need to be out of school for an extended period of time, saving parents a trip to school for homework pick-up.

The data projector might be nice, should I want to show a video from the computer, projecting it onto a screen.  Along the same lines, I’ve used an Elmo, which is nice for projecting a sheet of paper onto a screen or board.  The old ones only project transparencies. 

I already store a lot of info on a USB, but always have a paper back-up.  All students will be advised to have a flash drive on which to save their work, as well as a printed copy for safe-keeping.

Lastly, headphones will be necessary for those with reading difficulties.  I’ll likely be able to collect a number of audio books for students to utilize while following along in the actual text.

Videos

I particularly enjoyed four additional videos:  Making Sure They Are Learning, Reteach and Enrich:  How to Make Time for Every Student, Comprehensive Assessment:  A New York City Success Story, and Teacher Susan McCray Lights the Fire of Project Learning. 

What they all boiled down to was teaching students how to survive in the real world.  Teachers must commit themselves, as should the students.  To do so, there must be constant assessment, collaboration of teacher and student, and re-teaching.  Teachers should encourage discovery of students’ passions and open the door for the students to pursue that.  Teachers must also be full of life and full of challenges/demands for the students. Instruction should differ, but know that sometimes an assignment will be a flop.  Susan McCray assures us that it happens to all teachers.  We’ll just have to try again, just as we will ask of our students. Lastly, teachers should help students connect their thinking to real life, understanding that the possibilities are endless.  These particular videos exhibited minimal utilization of technology.  Instead, students were shown problem solving, completing rigorous assignments, and receiving validation for their hard work, efforts, and accomplishments that bring them one step closer to the real world.  I found them quite inspiring.