Week 3- What is Instructional Software and what are the five types?

Instructional Software is "computer programs designed to deliver instruction or assist with the delivery of instruction on a topic"(Roblyer & Doering, 2013). It aids teaching and learning in the classroom by incorporating fun activities through technology. 

The five types of instructional software are: Drill and Practice, Tutorial, Simulation, Instructional Games, and Problem Solving. Each type has a special attribute that helps them enforce the concept being learned in the classroom. Each type is described more in depth below:


Drill and Practice is the first type of instructional software that we will discuss. This type of teaching software functions to provide students with exercises in which the student gets feedback quickly. An example of this type of software would be Flash cards, Chart fill ins, or branching drills. A great software that my students use is FastMath. They absolutely love this game, but it is also educational and they have the beat the clock. You could also use the Flash card creation game found at http://quizlet.com This is a fun exercise game the students will enjoy, but will also be challenged!

Tutorial software is similar to instructional time that the teacher incorporates into her lesson. There are two examples of this software: linear and branching. Linear is simple and gives practice and feedback of differences in performance. Branching is more mastery of skill and the students get progress reports for their skills. A great software to use for this type is this math tutorial at http://math.rice.edu/lanius/Lessons

Simulation software is a model that is computerized of either a real or make believe system that is designed to teach how the system works. It can either teach us about something or how to do something. An example of a simulation is the Social Studies Simlation found at http://www.socialstudiescentral.com/?q=content/online-interactive-simulations

Instructional Games software is my favorite to use in the classroom. The students absolutely love to play on the computer but also learn fascinating things. It is important to find an instructional game that is not only appealing to students, but has great instructional value. One of my favorite games that my students play for math and science is the Brain games. You can find it at http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/braingames/braingames.htm

Problem Solving software is used to help students practice solving a lot of different questions that causes students to use their brain and think hard. There are two types of this software: content area or content free problem solving skills. One deals with more concentrated content and the other is general problem solving skills. Both equally as important to the problem solving software. An example of this type of software would be the Memory Challenge game which can be found at http://www.criticalthinking.com