Academic Software for Mathematics Learning (Week 6)

Introduction

In this topic, we discussed the applications of academic software in the teaching and learning of Mathematics. The primary purpose of educational software is to teach or self learn. The main objective of learning this chapter is to gain understanding to enable teachers to enhance their pedagogical skills and inculcate interest in the minds of the students towards Mathematics.

Academic Software or Educational Software

Academic software is defined as the enrichment of the teaching and learning process that meets the needs of students. Here, we learnt regarding the 2 main educational software. They are;

1. Courseware = Course + Software

• This refers to the entire course or any additional material when used in reference to an online or computer formatted classroom.
• It can be in different formats , e.g. HTML pages, PDF files or document files.

      2. Edutainment = Education + Entertainment

• This is the merging of computer games and educational software.
• It is primarily used for entertainment but it has focus points in the educational sense.
• Unfortunately, it does not focus on core skills such as literacy or numeracy, but rather on the theme of amusement.

The Importance of Academic Software?

1. It enables students to be effective and independent learners as they themselves navigate through the games and learn from instructions provided by the developer.
2. Students are also able to gather information from the academic software faster than when compared to the regular way of gaining information which can be impossible at times, arduous and pricey. 
3. They are also able to sample the changing aspects of a model related to their studies (in this case, Mathematics) through these softwares. 
4. Academic software also motivates students' interest as even acutely disabled students will be able to hit the target without fear of missing out.

Types of Academic Software

     1. Authoring Systems

•      Helps tutors in creating instructional software.
•      Varies by the type of hardware required and the required operating system.

     2. Desktop Publishing

•      To electronically design and layout pages.
•      Useful for creating hand-outs.

     3. Graphics Software

•      To create, capture, edit or enhance digital images.

     4. Paint Programs

•      To create and manipulate digital pictures, simple enhancements or great artwork.
•      Tools include pens, brushes, and shapes.

     5. Draw Programs

•      To create and manipulate digital images.
•      Use layered, arranged objects to create sophisticated drawings.

     6.  Imaging Software

•      Packaged with scanners and turns hard copy into digital images.
•      Convert hard copy into a word processing document.
•      Photo-styling software edits.

     7. Editing Software

•      Edits digital images - photos, clip art, scanned images, or ones you create.
•      Has powerful tools for editing photographic images.

     8.  Hypermedia Authoring Systems

•      Enables learner-driven “jumps,” linear or nonlinear, to different areas of content.
•      Can produce full multimedia lessons.

     9.  Reference Software

•      Digital versions of reference materials. 
•      Often on CDs, stored in a hypermedia format.
•      Includes text, sound, animation, video, and graphics.

     10. Tutorial Software

•      Presents new material or reinforces a lesson
•      Has practice and review sessions, includes feedback
•      Students proceed at their own rate to generate better understanding.

     11. Drill and Practice Software

•      Reinforces lessons existing skills.
•      May increase difficulty as mastery advances and/or focus on weaknesses.
•     Instant feedback and further review.

     12. Educational Games

•      Present content in game format.
•      Solve mysteries and participate in educational adventures (e.g. Carmen Sandiego)
•      Game aspect should not overshadow learning elements.

     13. Simulations

•      Present a virtual model of a situation or environment.
•      A safe way to experience situations like e.g. conducting a chemical experiment.
•      Slowing down or speeding up process for better understanding of subject matter.

     14. Special Needs Software

•       Targets specific learning needs.
•       Read computer text aloud and speech synthesizers turn speech to computer text.

     15. Integrated Learning Systems

•       Provide targeted instruction.
•       Includes tutorials, drill and practice and classroom management.

     16. Problem-Solving Software

•       Helps students acquire and practice problem-solving skills.   
•       May be content-oriented (math) or content neutral.
•       Offers opportunities to learn by experimenting.

     17. Brainstorming or Concept Mapping Software

•       Visually develops ideas and concepts
•       Organizes and links ideas to show relationship
•       Encourages creativity, clarifies thinking.

     18. Academic Databases

•       Reliable and authentic than general web searches.
•       Different academic databases focus on particular types of information.

     19. Content-Specific Academic Software

•      Software may be unique to area it supports.
•      Sampling of major types: Math software, Science, Social studies, language arts

Periodic Table of Educational Technology Tools

Advantages and Disadvantages of Academic Software

Advantages of using Academic Software are;

• Students control the pace of their own learning experience.
• Students learn through creating and utilizing hands-on knowledge.
• A development of a positive attitude towards technology occurs.
• Computers help develop children’s fundamental skills (i.e. letters, numbers,colors, shapes, rhythm, cause and effect, problem solving, procedural thinking, creativity).
• This is helpful for children who have physical or mental limitations because they act as a patient tutor allowing the child to learn at his own pace.
• Computers can help build self-confidence and self-esteem as students can evaluate themselves without the fear of being looked down upon.
• Computers enhance social skills as students can compete healthily among their onling friends through these softwares.

Disadvantages of using Academic Software are;

• Software needs to be carefully chosen in order to ensure that whatever the child’s attention is focused to is also educating them at the same time.
• Not every school has enough computers for every student, thus scheduling can become problematic (e.g. schools in rural areas).
• It is difficult to get a student’s attention to focus on the teaching of a lesson whenever they are on the computer.
• Muscular-skeletal injuries and vision problems can arise due to long hours of computer usage.

Conclusion

In conclusion, academic softwares have come to be a part of education today in the 21st century. As future teachers, we must be able to understand the upcoming generation is very much ingrained with technology since the day they were born. Thus it is important that we integrate technology whilst teaching important subjects like Mathematics, which can turn out to be mundane if taught in the repetitive manner of copying notes and doing exercises. Instead, we should try to look out for the many softwares which address the objectives of the lesson we intend to teach and support and enhance the teaching and learning process.

Thank you for spending your time to read my post. I would appreciate it if you could leave a comment below. Till then, take care and see you in the next post, next week! 😃