Software

It is important to review the software you are thinking about using.  One reason would be to make sure it is age appropriate.   Some maybe geared to a higher level or more advanced subject matter than your class can handle.  Context needs to be explored so that it is acceptable to the teacher for subject matter.  The software should be easy to understand and navigate through to hold the child's attention.  Scratch was the game I played.  I thought this game was fun, creative, engaging and beneficial to students through their own creativity.  You can program your stories, games, and aimations and share them with others online. Scratch is also software that can be used collaboratively which is great for a project for children to work on together. This software was a great way to learn and I think would hold a child's interest.  Stay Afloat was a game that was far less engaging than the other game I played.  They used a hangman type format that can be used for only short periods of time.  I felt that it was a drill and practice which is ok but, of course is not creative or was intended to be used that way.  Children would become bored with this game.  You could use this only for fifteen minutes at a time, like preparing for a test. I would try to find another more interesting game if at all possible.

Concept map

Using a concept map for children would help those who have a difficult time feeling confident in themselves.  Sharing would be easier, everyone could participate and put down everyone's input.  Assessment would be collective.  As a visual learner everything is right out there for you to see and get the whole picture.  Cons would be that it might be confusing for some if they have a hard time taking in the entire picture at a time.  Their learning aspect might interfere with that.  Concept maps would be great for math problems with several steps or a chapter in Social Studies by getting all the major points and what is under each topic.  Concept maps could be used for everyone but would certainly help a child who was a visual learner.  This method could also be used on the computer as a reinforcement to make sure the children understand what was important in the lesson.

Tutorials: Pros and Cons

The tutorials and slideshow were informative.  The slideshow was interesting and I actually learned some things from that. I'm a visual learner and this is a good learning tool.   Pictures are a great way to know exactly what you are talking about.  Two links that would adhere to that are Microsoft Office and Internet 101.  Tutorials are an instructional sequence on a topic.  Guided learning is drawing upon your own experience and prior knowledge to discover what is to be learned.  The pros of guided learning would be positive for students to move at his or her own pace.  This form of learning would be more interesting  and visual learners would get more from it and stay on task longer.  The cons of this would be if they failed to understand or deducted from it the wrong conclusion.  If it was a long segment children with short attention spans would lose interest quickly.