Educational Software

     There are five types of educational software: drill-and-practice, tutorial, simulation, instructional game, and problem solving. These five types of games provide students with varied instructional activities which engage students and broaden students' understanding of concepts.

     Drill-and-practice software provides students the opportunity to respond to questions or answer problems and receive confirmation of their correct answers. A virtual flashcard-type game is an example of drill-and-practice software. I really like this drill-and-practice game for iOS that lets students practice addition and subtraction. This game is available on the Apple App Store at http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/addition-subtraction-for-kids/id426907035?mt=8.
     Tutorial software teaches students new skills or concepts by providing instruction and independent practice. Tutorials assess students' skills and give students feedback. Keyboarding instruction may often be delivered through the use of tutorial programs, such as this Mavis Beacon keyboarding game from Broderbund available at http://www.broderbund.com/p-121-mavis-beacon-keyboarding-kidz.aspx.

      Simulation software allows students to participate in mock situations which are very similar to what the real situation would be in a classroom. Simulations can provide hands-on experience without getting your hands dirty. I don't know that I would use this game in my classroom, but Microsoft's "Flight Simulator X" is a fairly realistic game that lets players act as the pilot of an airplane. You can find more information about "Flight Simulator X" at http://www.microsoft.com/games/flightsimulatorx/. 

     Instructional games apply "game rules" to simulation software or drill-and-practice software. These games engage students by tapping into the competitive nature that many children possess. Many math instructional games exist. Check out this game at http://mrnussbaum.com/monster/. This game practices addition, subtraction,multiplication and division skills.
     Problem solving games teach students problem solving skills and allows students to practice their problem solving skills. Many problem solving games for younger learners exist at http://pbskids.org/games/problemsolving.html.
     
A plethora of educational games exist in many functions and formats. We are no longer limited to games that only exist on a disc, but we are able to access many online games to use with our students. We must select the game function that best suits what we want our students to accomplish, and we must always be looking for new games to add to our lists of resources.