Blog Prompt 1

How many times have you heard a child or young adult express their dreadful opinion of the grand subject History. I do understand and, at times, fully agree that History can be the perfect sleep-problem solution. It can easily knock a person out on a cold, hard desk for hours. This only adds to the reasons why I want to teach this so-called ‘boring’ subject. Instructional software is becoming an extremely effective way to reach students. While keeping their attention with these programs, we the teachers engage the children, which allows the chance for them to actually retain the information we are trying to relay. There are so many softwares online that I found to help students understand and retain information about particular subjects. At Playing History by Center for History and New Media - http://playinghistory.org/, students are involved with a simulation software that allows them to learn from debating in argumentative wars of actual Supreme Court cases to growing a law firm while understanding the Bill of Rights. I would love to use this within my classroom setting or for homework activities because it would make the learning experience hands-on and, hopefully, easier to understand. Congress for Kids by The Dirksen Congressional Center - http://congressforkids.net is a great resource for a tutorial software that provides a wide array of different learning situations throughout mini-games, quizzes, and short paragraphs on all subjects about the Constitution. This would make it ideal for students in my classroom when it comes to practicing the material we have covered before actual testing days. A part of the textbook explains how constructivists believe people “construct all knowledge in their minds by participating in certain experiences” (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p.37). Social Studies Alive by TCI - http://tutorial.teachtci.com  is a tutorial software that gives students the ability to work through assignments and tasks at their own pace. I love this because each student is going to learn differently and it allows me to be able to assign things at home or in the classroom without rushing students to finish within a quick time frame. As a teacher I “can create presentation software reviews” in class as an easy way to show all students (Robyler & Doering, 2013, p. 132). It is important for our generation to take advantage of these software sources to better student’s education. Even as a teacher I need to take advantage of software tools such as Microsoft Excel to help me within my classroom to “keep club and classroom budgets, preparing performance checklists, and keeping gradebooks” (Robyler & Doering, 2013, p.125).  At Scribd - http://www.scribd.com/doc/26241993/Software-Support-Tools-Material-generators-and-Planning-and-Organizing-Tools there is a program that would allow me to generate my own puzzles and assignments in my class that would directly attain the information I am trying to get across. Integrated learning systems according to the text “offers a variety of instructional techniques in one place” which makes it ideal for both student and teacher (Robyler & Doering, 2013, p. 102). ILS should be a part of the “teaching methods and carefully be integrated into a total teaching program” (Robyler & Doering, 2013, p. 105). My short video that I tweeted about gives a great example of how a teacher has integrated youtube with his different teaching methods  - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a7NbUIr_iQ&feature=player_embedded. What a better time than to become involved in a new and great teaching style through instructional software! 

M1 - http://t.co/NbKsGh3vPq Flip Teaching! Short Video! Take a look. Different way of teaching! #ED527UM
— Alex Strickland (@AL4Strick) September 5, 2013

Roblyer, M. D., & Doering, A. (2013). Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching. (6 ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc.