Guidelines for Selecting Computer Software

1
Guidelines for Selecting Computer Software
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Evaluating Computer Software

• Instructional Design
• Software Design
• Other Criteria

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Content

• Instructional Objectives
• Purpose of the software
• Lessons and instructions should be sequenced

4
Instruction

• Should follow sound educational techniques and
  principles
• Positive reinforcement
• Time spent learning
• Performance summaries

5
Student

• Life of the learner
• Prerequisite skills and learner characteristics
  should be clearly indicated
• Text and audio should be present at a reading
  level appropriate for users

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Operation

• User friendly
• Manual
• Changes to presentation, sequence, or selection
  of lessons should be explained clearly

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Design

• Color, graphics, animation, and sound
• Text
• Commands

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Package

• Should be easy to integrate into the curriculum
• Lesson plans, grouping arrangements, student
  workbooks, follow-up activities, and projects
• Flexibility

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Other Factors

• Do a little research by asking other teachers,
  parents, and students about their favorite
  software
• Ask for a demo
• Select items that bring fun and learning together
• Decision-making, creating, communicating, and
  using thinking skills
• Several levels of difficulty
• Hardware components

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References
http//www.computerlearning.org/articles/SelectSW.
htm http//www.tcnj.edu/technj/spr97/selection.h
tml http//www.netc.org/earlyconnections/kindergar
ten/software.html http//www.ataccess.org/resource
s/atk12/selectsoft.html http//teacher.scholastic.
com/professional/teachtech/selectsoftware.htm http
//www.math.purdue.edu/highSchool/technology/refer
ences-softwareCheck.html http//www.htctu.fhda.edu
/publicat/ld/intro.pdf