I entered the EDTECH program with my initial perspective on technology integration being that my 9th grade students would find any technology interesting and the simple use of technology would engage them on the spot. However, I quickly found that my initial ideas were wrong. I put technology in the hands of my students this year more so than ever and they only found it frustrating. In fact, many students preferred to use a pen and paper. This fascinated me because high school students are addicted to their technology, but most of their knowledge comes in the form of how to use social media. Any technology that is used for academics seemed to turn my students off (or at least at my site). However, I believe the root problem for my students is that they too frequently experienced technology in the classroom being used incorrectly to engage students. That is where instructional software is a powerful means of supporting instruction in the classroom. I have learned in time that it is about purposeful technology use to create meaningful learning experiences. With 9th grade English there are plenty of opportunities to embrace instructional software. Using it to teach argumentation is at times challenging and requires creativity on the part of the educator. Below I will break down instructional software into five categories and offer suggestions for practical use in a 9th grade unit on argumentation.
Drill and practice involves students practicing a given skill with repetition. The advantage is that students gain immediate feedback and have opportunities to practice within different contexts. Moreover, students can practice by applying their content knowledge to different environments. Lastly, it allows students to move at their own pace. This might come in the form of using the different Boolean Search strategies to narrow searches, making digital presentations using Prezi, VoiceThread, etc., or citing sources in easybib.com to be sure citations are accurate.
Tutorials offer complete instruction without the teacher. These provide “all the informational and instructional activities a learner needs to master a topic” (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 77). Not only do the tutorials save time, since students can move at their own pace, but their increase student motivation and offer more immediate feedback. This might come in the form of a student viewing a Google Drive tutorial in order to learn to create, share, and manage documents within their Drive. Another example will come when students record research with digital notecards. Evernote and easybib tutorials will teach students about this process and are available for student review when necessary, refer to for guidance, and to check for understanding.
Simulations are digital models of processes presented in a situation with real world application. Both practice and demonstration are present in simulations. Simulations offer complete instruction and are highly interactive for students (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 86). Moreover, simulations should reveal to students the complete pedagogical sequence of a process. As a result, students can self-evaluate their progress and receive more immediate feedback. Simulations will also heighten engagement due to the real world alignment that helps students understand that the practice is meaningful. For example, having students practice presenting their arguments via Google Hangouts creates a small audience where students can practice their delivery and get more immediate feedback from their classmates.
Instructional games are much like drill and practice, but they involve competition to increase student engagement. Students are motivated to “compete” and “play,” thus offering opportunities to do so will add to student motivation. Instructional games are a great source for replacing traditional means of practice and if used in groups can teach valuable skills such as teamwork and communication. More complex topics at the secondary level, such as argumentative writing, seem to lack instructional games. However, games due exist that focus on the more basic elements or argumentation and still prove to be effective. One way I incorporate this into class it to take normal drill and practice instruction and include game-like rules. For example, instead of just practice Boolean Search operators I will give student certain searching criteria and the first person to use the most correct Boolean operator for searching will win the round.
Problem-solving software is not intended to offer instruction, but to create situations for student to apply their critical thinking skills and content knowledge to solve problems. This type of software involves greater complexity. This might come in the form of giving students a hypothetical issue and ask them to develop an argument that defends the First Amendment. They would be required to use various resources, critically think, and develop an interpretation of the First Amendment based on the case.
All of the above requires purposeful placement by the educator into the course’s pedagogical sequence in order for students to experience meaningful learning. Edutopia and the Teaching Channel are both great sources for accessing instructional software for all content areas. These sources offer both instructional strategies, lessons, and feedback on effectiveness.
Roblyer, M.D. & Doering, A.H. (2013). Integrating educational technology into teaching. Boston, MA: Pearson.
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