Sunday, April 15, 2012

(12) Teaching Software




The article highlighting a New Jersey classroom explains the benefits of including computer driven instruction with the students that need to “catch up”.  The program works with students to increase reading potential by working with spelling, reading speeds, and other areas.  So far, the teachers have claimed that the student’s achievement levels have increased and the students are beginning to feel more confident with their skills as readers.
            From a teacher’s perspective, I think this program is revolutionary for the reading classroom.  Although I believe reading is a very teacher driven instruction, the ability to reach outside of those limits and tailor a program directly to a students needs is wonderful.  The computer program allows immediate feedback and does not allot for students to be “left out” of instructional tasks.  I believe the program is beneficial to the teachers as well because it allows time to dedicate to individual students needs.  If a class is working on computers, a teacher can easily move around and work with students one-on-one to make sure they get the individual attention they need.  Further, the program diagnoses classroom issues within feedback so teachers can then tailor their lesson planning.
On the other side of the coin, I hope that programs like these would not take away from classroom instruction and the very physical aspect of reading.  But if the program is used correctly in conjunction with teacher instruction, I believe the positive results are endless.  
I would gladly adopt this use within my classroom.  Like mentioned before, I think the potential benefits outweigh any risks that may arise from less teacher led instruction.  I believe immediate and accurate diagnosis of students needs is invaluable in a struggling reader classroom.  The program does all of the “dirty work” and is able to get down to the students true needs in order for teachers to spend time on the true needs of the students. 


No comments:

Post a Comment