Chapter 4: Using Instructional Software and Multimedia for Content-Area Learning

: pg.121 – 145, 153 – 160, 163-165

Computer Based Instruction
As tutor: technology exerts a high degree of control over the informatio
n to which students are exposed and over how students interact with this materia
l
Technology provides the means for educators and students to play their r
oles more effectively
Instructionism v. Constructionism
Process of Instruction
Exposure to information or learning experiences
Initial guidance as the student struggles to understand the information
or execute the skill to be learned
Extended practice to provide fluency or to ensure retention
Assessment of student learning
Categories of Instructional Software
Tutorials: present information & guide learning
Simulations: provide controlled learning environments that replicate key
elements of real-world environments
o Fidelity: the extent to which a simulation mimics reality
o Advantages: Concreteness allows the object of study to be made bigger/sm
aller, slower/faster, etc. ; Control over situations with which they would seldo
m be allowed to experiment under other circumstance; Cost Effectiveness; Safety
Drill and Practice: developed to meet the needs of extended practice; dr
ill activities concern factual memorization, and practice concerns the developme
nt of skill fluency
Educational Games: activities emphasize competition and entertainment, E
dutainment
o The Oregon Trail
o The Carmen Sandiego Series
o Sim City
Exploratory Environments: provide manageable and responsive computer-bas
ed worlds for students to explore and manipulate, Intentional Learning Environme
nts
o Learner Control
o Flexibility
o Active Learning in a realistic situation
Mutimedia and Hypermedia
Multimedia: many formats; more than one modality (visual and auditory), at least
two symbol systems (words and pictures), or at least two genres within a symbol
system (prose and poetry, still image and video)
Hypermedia: allows multimedia to be experienced in a nonlinear fashion; interact
ive
Advantages:
o Support for verbal instruction
o Authentic Learning and depth of learning experience
o Dual-coding Theory
o Meeting individual needs
o Motivational benefits
Concerns:
o Duplication of existing instructional materials; cost effectiveness ques
tions
o Inadequate student skills
The Evaluation of Computer-Assisted Instruction (CAI)
o Technology seems to offer a moderate advantage over traditional instruct
ion
o How can learners be most effectively oriented to important lesson conten
t?
o What are the most effective ways to use multimedia sources to encourage
learning and understanding?
o How can learners be assisted in detecting and responding to errors in th
eir understanding?
o How can the sequencing of content be best adapted to individual learner
needs?
o How can learners develop the ability to apply what they know?
o What factors motivate learners?