With the development of technologies and wide spread of computers across all the aspects of human life, computers are becoming an integral part of school education as well. The smart machines can be a great aid for both students and teachers.
Eric Rusten (2002) outlines that using computers in education is not only a tool for, but also a way of integrating students into the modern society of high technologies. A 10 year-long Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow (ACOT) research program showed that use of computers in classrooms improves students’ test scores, attendance, writing skills and interpersonal communication skills (Apple Inc., 2008).
However, it should be noted that computer software used in education is divided, according to Maddux et al (2001) into Type I and Type II applications. Unlike the rather complex Type II applications, Type I school computer programs are, in most cases, simple pieces of software that include drill and practice software, tutorial software, assessment and administrative software, as well as computer-managed instruction (CMI) applications. All of these forms of Type I applications can be of a great help to a school teacher.
Drill and Practice School Software
Drill and practice software can be used in order to assist students in mastering their knowledge of the subject. For example, when studying the life of Jesus such software, using multiple choice questions, for instance, can help students to learn the subject better. Such applications can improve student’s knowledge of historical facts, vocabulary, or names of the Bible characters or places. So, drill and practice software is to be used to help students in memorizing facts concepts.
Tutorial School Software
Tutorial software can become a great aid for the teacher in one’s preparation to the classes, as well as teaching. It can include such applications as, for example, Microsoft PowerPoint that can help a teacher to organize and effectively present the material. In addition, tutorial software can be used as a visual aid for learning the material – perception of information in several different forms will improve understanding, comprehension and learning.
Educational Software for Grading and Assessment
The main purpose of assessment software is to help the teacher in monitoring students’ progress in the class. It will be especially helpful in scoring and interpreting the results of standardized tests. Since this type of applications performs the above mentioned function, it will be saving the teacher’s time.
Administration Software for School Computers
Administrative software helps to create tests and administer the workflow of the class. Since planning is an integral part of the teaching process, this type of computer applications will be helping the teacher to organize and oversee the teaching process.
School CMI Computer Applications
Finally, computer-managed instruction (CMI) applications can also be used by a high school teacher. Furthermore, since such programs usually perform many functions, one can replace some of the above mentioned pieces of software. One CMI application can, for example, be used for creating drills and tests, for managing students’ performance, as well as for organizing the teacher’s work.
To sum up, it looks like these days computers can become a great aid for both students and teachers. Since computers are present in most aspects of our lives nowadays, and learning should be related to and based upon student’s lives and experiences, computers can, and even should, be used in classes whenever possible.
References:
- Apple Inc. Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow—Today. Learning in the 21st Century. Background Information. 2008. Web. 8 Nov. 2010.
- Maddux, C.D., Johnson R.J. and Willis, J.W. Educational Computing: Learning with tomorrow’s technologies (3rd ed.). 2001. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
- Rusten, Eric. “Using Computers in Schools”. Model of Use. 2002. Web. 8 Nov. 2010.
Alla Kondrat - Alla Kondrat+ is a Feng Shui topic editor at Suite101.com, as well as a full time freelance writer and translator (Russian and Ukrainian). ...
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