Assignment: Software Integration Project
Historically, a great deal of instructional software has typically focused on serving as a "teacher replacement" function; that is, the software centered on drill and practice, and later, tutorial emphases. With our emphasis on fostering higher-level thinking skills of the Bloom's Taxonomy (problem-solving, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation), it can be a challenge to find and utilize software that encourages student inquiry, sharing and discussion of ideas, and critical analysis and evaluation. The purpose of this project is, therefore, to locate and use a piece of software, either individually or as a group, in a way that will build and utilize these higher-level skills.
- Individually, or as a group, search for 2 or 3 software titles that are rated as a 4 or 5 on the “Usability – higher-level thinking skills” as possibilities (select one for your project). In general, these titles may be:
- Collaborative software
- tool-based/productivity—produces a product
- tutorial type where learner records progress, new things learned, etc
- simulation or problem-solving
- If working as a group, allow some time to get together to plan roles, etc.
- When you have settled on a particular software, write a short proposal to include: content area or topic in which the student will demonstrate learning, one or two general learning goals you expect the student to accomplish, and what artifacts you will produce to demonstrate that a learning activity took place. When approved by the instructor, you may proceed with your software integration project.
- Turn in a software review form appropriate to your software package (instructional or tool/productivity), a Bloom’s Taxonomy performance objective (put in the comments section of your review form), and include the artifact(s) you produced as a result of the learning activity.
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