M. Brown-edtech 541 Instructional software presentation

M. Brown-edtech 541 Instructional software presentation

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  Instructional Software inthe Art Classroom Molli Brown EDTECH 541 Su 2012
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  Relative Advantage ofUsing Instructional Software Instructional software can have a high relative advantage in any classroom including the art classroom. It is not meant to replace a teacher but rather enhance or assist teachers in helping students to grasp course material. If used correctly the relative advantage, or perceived potential of instructional software, can be great. This software acts as a solution for a variety of learning problems. It can offer visual examples, help to make abstract concepts more concrete, supply immediate feedback for students, establish links between skills and real-world problems, provide structured and self-paced learning environments, reusable materials, and so much more. There are five main types of instructional software: drill and practice, tutorials, simulations, educational games, and problem-solving software. No matter what subject or grade level, there are endless options out there to try. This presentation will focus on those applicable for K-12 art educators.
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  Evaluating Instructional Software When choosing the best instructional software for your classroom there are a number of things to consider. First, would be whether or not the software is free. Teachers often do not have the budget to purchase instructional software so this can be a big determining factor as to whether or not they’ll be able to use it. If the software is free consider who is providing it, like an educational institution for example, to check for validity. Next, one might consider reading reviews or evaluations of the potential software. If nothing else, experiment using it to see if students would benefit from it or not. If reviews are available on a particular software it’s good to make sure they’re coming from independent third parties so as not to be biased. Here are a couple to look into for any subject content.  The Learning Village  Power to Learn  Discovery Education’s Review Corner  Children’s Technology Review  Education World’s Software Reviews
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  5 Types ofInstructional Software Again, there are five types of instructional software. The proceeding slides will explain the purpose of each type and it’s potential use for K-12 art teachers.  Drill and practice  Tutorials  Simulations  Educational Games  Problem-Solving Software
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  Drill and Practice  Definition of Purpose: Drill and practice software offer practice sessions to students allowing them to work at their own pace. They give example exercises that offer can offer immediate feedback to students as they work through them recalling information learned.  Potential Use: In the art room drill and practice software can help students prepare for a quiz on an artist, style of art, specific artwork, or technique or medium. Some software has quizzes and things like this already prepared for teachers to offer students. Others allow you to tailor it to your specific use.  Relative Advantage: Drill and practice software is excellent for providing students with immediate feedback, increasing motivation, and replacing wasteful worksheets.
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  Drill and PracticeExamples  Funnel Brain- Funnel Brain offers teachers or students a chance to create their own virtual flashcards. By searching for art or art history Funnel Brain will show sets of cards already created for those subjects. This can be tailored to help students of any age practice remembering art or art history facts.  Are You Art Smart?- Contains five quizzes on various art content knowledge that was created using a tool called MyStudiyo. The quizzes were created by art teachers and the information the quizzes covered are for younger students, grades 3-6, learning basic art knowledge about color, the elements of art, and well known artworks.
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  Tutorials  Definition of Purpose:Tutorials are often confused with drill and practice software because they have a feedback component to them. However, tutorials are different because they not only give feedback they also present the topic to learners. Tutorials should present information to students in a similar way that a teacher would present a lesson to students.  Potential Use: Tutorials in the art room can be helpful for when students are learning about various styles or specific works of art. The tutorial might give the student information on the style or artwork, and then ask them to complete an exercise based on the provided information.  Relative Advantage: A great advantage of tutorial software is that it is self-paced. The student can go back and reread something if they don’t understand it or repeat the tutorial numerous times. Also, student that work more quickly can do so on their own with tutorials. A tutorial is a very good option when an actual teacher isn’t available.
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  Tutorial Examples  Destination Modern Art- Presents information to students on the various artworks within the MOMA, asks questions about what was presented on each work, includes activities for learners to complete, and more. It is recommended for learners ages 5-8 and would be an excellent way for students to understand how to navigate through an art museum.  Art Games-Albright Knox- Offers learners a chance to learn about landscapes, portraits, specific artists, and different styles of art that are located in the Albright Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, NY. No specific age is mentioned for this software, ages 5-9 would be appropriate.
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  Simulations  Definition of Purpose: Simulations offer learners a chance to experience how to do something or learn about the way something works through a computer model. Simulation software puts complete navigational control into the hands of the user.  Potential Use: Simulation software is one of the more commonly found types of instructional software for art. Simulations offer users a chance to see how to create various artworks with various media without having the accessibility to those things.  Relative Advantage: Simulation software can be beneficial to learners when there is no possible way they can make their own artwork using the tools in the simulation software. It also has the added bonus of no cleanup and no worrying about safety issues with tools. Simulation software can also be excellent for exposing students to artwork that is made using similar software in reality (e.g. how the Architect Studio 3D is similar to CAD).
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  Simulation Examples  Tate Kids-Street Art- Street Art offers users an chance to make street art without breaking the law. It provides a brick wall, spray paint of a variety of colors, stencils, customizable stickers, paint buckets, and brushes. This is recommended for users ages 5-7.  Architect Studio 3D- This simulation software is recommended for users ages 11-14 and gives detailed background on architecture, Frank Lloyd Wright, and the ability to design architecture. This requires a free download of Unity Web Player.
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  Educational Games  Definition of Purpose: Educational games can include drill and practice and/or problem-solving types of learning opportunities. However, they also include rules and a level of competitiveness.  Potential Use: Educational gaming software can be used in the art room in similar ways as drill and practice and problem-solving software can. Depending on the game available it can support whatever specific content is being covered and increase motivation of the learners.  Relative Advantage: Educational game software has great potential for increasing motivation and time spent focused on content.
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  Educational Game Examples  Tate Kids-Art Lab- This game has its players learn about how to restore artworks and then times them as they restore the artworks that need it. Players are graded on each component and then given an overall score. This game is recommended for students ages 5-7 and would be helpful when learning about art restoration that takes place in museums.  Tate Kids-Barbara’s Garden- This game has its players explore Barbara Hepworth’s Sculpture Garden in St. Ives, Cornwall. On their exploration through this large space they are asked to find specific sculptures and items. Players receive a stone for each item found. The Garden is recommended for students ages 10 and over and would be an excellent way to have students experience and explore a virtual sculpture garden.
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  Problem-Solving Software  Definition of Purpose: Problem-solving software offers a chance for learners to apply their content knowledge and skills.  Potential Use: Problem-solving software in art is not as common as it might be in other content areas. However, it does exist and can often be mislabeled as a game. It can be used in the art room to challenge students to use their observational skills when looking at artworks.  Relative Advantage: Problem-solving software creates an interesting way for students to use the skills they have learned in that content area and often ones from other areas as well. It can also increase student motivation.
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  Problem-Solving Software Examples  Curious Corner- Created by The Art Institute of Chicago, Curious Corner has two problem-solving components. One involves matching sounds with parts of artworks. The other takes learners through a story and at the end helps characters to complete a task. It is designed for learners ages 3-12 to help them explore and investigate various artworks from around the world and take part in playful problem-solving activities.  Tate Kids-Memento Mori- Practices observational skills, riddle decoding, and questions about artworks in the Tate Museum to help players figure out how to get to get through the Memento Mori room. It was created for learners ages 8-10 and would be helpful when teaching students to look closely at artworks and interpret items within them.
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  Resources Robyler, M. D.,& Doering, A.H. (2013). Educational technology into teaching (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.