Topic 196

Software in the classroom: science experiments, social studies modelling and simulation, instructional tools and media, computer-aided instruction, computer-aided learning by Akira

Installing software in the classroom at schools can be really convenient and it can also have some downside to it. Personally I think it would be nice to have software in class.
First of all what kind of issues are associated with this topic? One example is the cost of installing all the software in the classrooms. Some school might not be able to install all the software because they don’t have enough money. Also they need some expert to organize and operate the software in the classrooms. Another issue can be the fact that the students would need to be taught how to use the software because they would take a long time to get used to it. Also another problem is the lack of interaction with the teacher. The software can take away jobs from teachers because the school can substitute them with the teaching software.

A solution that can overcome this problem for example is to support the installing of the software by fundraising. This way the school can install the new software at a fairy low price. Also if they have a fundraiser they can hire an expert much easier and would be able to use the software effectively. One way that the students can learn how to use the software is to have a few classes to learn how to use the various software.

There is no one specific that is responsible. This is mainly because people always go with the most effective and convenient way of working. So it is human nature to install this software that would make it easier to teach a class. But also the principal of the school can be held responsible because the school is the one that chooses to install the software and the principal is in the control of the school.

There are few alternative decisions that can be made in this situation. First we could just not install the software. This is because classes can function without using software or other types of media. Another decision that they can make is to divide the class into two, classes using the software and classes without using the software and the students can choose which class they want or they can alternate.

One consequence of these decisions is the gap of knowledge they might have taking different classes. Also there might be some people who would be able to learn better with the software and those people wouldn’t get the chance to try the software. This would be a great loss in many ways because they could have learnt more about a subject.