Instructional Software
For this chapter, our intention was to use the Primer to describe the basic categories of instructional software and to present a few specific examples online. The categories of instructional software are fairly static and we would argue can be related to long recognized components necessary for effective instruction. However, what examples fitting these categories of instruction will look like are constantly changing and are made available to learners in new ways. The goal of providing specific examples here is to offer you a little greater depth in considering what the general attributes we describe look like in practice. It is not practical to provide examples appropriate to the many different content areas and grade levels teachers who use our resources must address so some translation or generalization on your part will likely be necessary. We have tried to select examples that go beyond demonstrating the characteristics of each category of instructional software and bring up other issues for you to consider. These issues range from the ethics of laboratory experiences in biology that use live specimens (simulated dissection) to rethinking the role of the “face to face” instructor when online video can be used to present instruction (video tutorials). We hope these side issues provoke some interesting discussions in your class.
Drill and Practice - Giving flashcards a new look
Simulation Example - Sniffy the Virtual Rat
More on games and exploratory environments
Examples of exploratory environments
Research on use of CAI in the classroom and CAI effectiveness