This document discusses five categories of instructional software that can be used in middle school social studies: drill and practice, tutorials, simulations, instructional games, and problem-solving software. Drill and practice software allows students to answer questions and receive feedback to reinforce concepts. Tutorials provide instruction like an online tutor. Simulations model real or imaginary systems to demonstrate concepts. Instructional games add game elements to drills or simulations to increase engagement. Problem-solving software teaches problem-solving steps or gives students practice solving problems. Examples are given for types of software that fit each category and how they could be used for social studies topics.

1. Instructional Software in
Middle School Social
Studies
George Phillip
EdTech 541 Summer 2013
Monday, July 1, 13

2. Instructional Software
• Divided into five categories:
• Drill & Practice
• Tutorials
• Simulations
• Instructional Games
• Problem-Solving Software
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3. Drill & Practice
• Allows learners to work problems or answer
questions and get feedback on correctness
(Roblyer, 2013, pg 78)
• Not designed to introduce new content!
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4. Drill & Practice Advantages
1. Help to memorize specific keywords or
concepts.
2. Students move at own pace through content.
3. Receive immediate feedback on
performance.
4. Teaches students to take ownership of
learning.
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5. Drill & Practice for social studies
In social studies this can be as simple as flash cards. A teacher
can create a set of flash cards for individual students or create a
class page.
Images are links to
websites.
Quizlet is a webpage, app, and
Chrome extension that you can
create flashcards for your
students to practice.
StudyBlue is an alternative to
Quizlet.
Image from: itunes.apple.com Image from: http://goo.gl/2qbJw
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6. Tutorials
• Acts like a human tutor by providing all the
information and instructional activities a
learner needs to master a topic: information
summaries, explanation, practice routines,
feedback, and assessment (Roblyer, 2013, pg
78).
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7. Advantages to Tutorials
1. An asynchronous lesson or unit of study.
2. Can assign different tutorials based on
students ability.
3. Self checks built within tutorial to check for
understanding.
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8. Tutorial for social
studies
Image from Copy/Paste by Peter Papas
http://goo.gl/qWyAq
A teacher can find lessons here to
teach students new content.
You can also set up quizzes at the end of
the videos to track students progress.
All feedback is emailed to teacher for further teaching.
Image is link to
website.
If you are interested in “Flipping” your
classroom, this is a great place to start. I
did the Flip Mastery Model this way and
it worked really well for my students.
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9. Simulations
• “Model real or imaginary systems to show
how those systems or similar ones work or
to demonstrate underlying
concepts” (Robyler, 2013, pg. 79)
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10. Advantages to Simulations
1. More engaging for newer generation of
students.
2. User placed directly into a situation that
allows them to make decisions.
3. Relies on prior knowledge and reasoning to
maneuver through activity.
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11. Simulations for social studies
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This simulation places you in North America in 1628.You explore the
various regions of North America as a European explorer and
interact with the Native American Tribes.Your task is to see who has
the most powerful culture.Image from: http://goo.gl/9eZ2e
Within this website are more simulations that
may meet your needs better.
Image is link to
website.
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12. Instructional Games
• “Increases motivation by adding
game rules to drills or
simulations” (Robyler, 2013, pg. 79).
• Think Game-Based Learning
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13. Advantages to Instructional Games
1. Offers competitive gaming and learning in
one.
2. More fun in class will help to prevent
student turn off.
3. Most students are more engaged by games,
so play to their strengths.
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14. Instructional Games in social studies
Images are links to
website.
The goal of Evoke is to help empower people all over the
world to come up with creative solutions to our most urgent
social problems. In this game, students need to find a
creative solution to a problem using as many resources and
people as you can in the game. I would use this game if I
taught high school world history.
This game can be played online or downloaded onto a PC or
Mac. You have two missions you can choose from. You can
play the role of 14 year old Nat Wheeler who, after the Boston
Massacre, must choose to side with the Loyalists or the
Patriots. The second mission is set in Kentucky and Ohio in
1850, where students take on the role of a fourteen year old
slave named Lucy. In the mission students escape slavery in
Kentucky and navigate to Ohio.
After playing this game, my students
had a better understanding of the
struggles of people their own age. It
was a great learning experience for
them.
Image from: http://www.urgentevoke.com/
Image from: http://www.mission-us.org/
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15. Problem-Solving
Software
• “Teaches directly (through explanation and/or
practice) the steps involved in solving
problems or helps learners acquire problem-
solving skills by giving them opportunities to
solve problems” (Robyler, 2013, pg. 79).
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16. Problem-Solving Advantages
1. Allows for students to apply knowledge in
new situation.
2. Challenges students by forcing them to
think more critically and be more creative.
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17. Problem-Solving
Software in social studies
Image from: http://historyengine.richmond.edu/
History Engine is an educational tool that gives students
the opportunity to learn history by doing the work of
historians.
In my class, students would use this site to
increase their research and writing skills.They
would get a chance to choose a person or topic
and run with it. Allowing them to use some of the
21st Century Skills to show understanding.Images are links to
website.
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