Lesson 7: Software in the Classroom!

Well,  It is Week 7 and I have to say that I am STILL LEARNING!  This week I learned all the different types of software that is out there for teachers to use in the classroom.  Never did I imagine there was so many types of software on every subject area, such as Tutorials, Simulations, Critical Thinking and So on!  When I have my own classroom, in hopefully the next year, I have already started planning on using a few of these types of software. 

One software in particular that I KNOW I will use in the classroom, no matter what grade level  or subject area I end up teaching, is TUTORIALS!  Tutorials give students specific training and practice on any subject.  The best part about these, I believe, is that they allow students to learn at their own pace.  Many times, whether it be in Math or Spelling, there are always some kids who get it a little faster and some that get it at a little slower pace.  Giving them access to tutorials will give them extra time to practice and learn at their pace.  One of the best parts is that in most tutorials, the student can pick what level they are at in the subject, such as beginner and move up from there.

There are many tutorials out there for teachers and parents to buy, however, I was able to find many FREE or discounted rates for teacher’s, tutorials on the Internet.  One tutorial that I will use immediately in my classroom is one that I found online called, SpellaRoo.  This tutorial is one that gives the student the opportunity to choose what spelling level they are at, and then from there are given a series of sentences where they choose the incorrectly spelled word.  After every sentence, the student is told if they were right or wrong.  I believe it is very important for students to get that immediate response if they were wrong and then be provided with the correct spelling.  SpellaRoo does this.  I was also able to find many Math tutorials on the Internet that are for every age.  Everything from addition and subtraction to fractions and algebra, there was a tutorial.

After this week’s lesson, I am very excited to know that I have effective and cheap resources out there to teach my students.  It can become very monotonous for a student to write down spelling words and math problems over and over.  While sometimes, this may be necessary, it is good to know that using these tutorials will give students the practice and repetition in order to succeed, all while having fun!  Because, again in my opinion, Education should be fun!