Chapter 5: Teaching with Software Tools: Beyond the Basic Programs

A number of different software programs, other than the basics discussed in Chapter 4, were addressed in Chapter 5. The different tools offer benefits that are very similar to the benefits of the basic tools. Benefits include, improved efficiency and productivity, improved appearance of product, better accuracy and timeliness of information and more support for interactions and sharing. Some of the software tools that really stood out to me as a future were the electronic grade books and form makers. Having access to software that helps create forms can be very beneficial to a teacher, especially when a teacher is trying to gain information from students, parents or co-workers. Having electronic grade books is very common in today’s school systems. Teachers need to be prepared to use programs to record student scores and create documents to help analyze student progress. As an early childhood major, the draw/paint programs also stood out to me. Young students love to create artwork. Young students could use their creativity and imagination to create a number of different art pieces. Students could be learning about art principles or elements,. They could also do activities where they create the art work, then make a story to go along with the pictures, making the lesson English based. Tools such as clip art, photo, animation, sound, video, and font collections can be very useful in an early childhood classroom. Children need stimulation whether it be visual or audio. Using these different tools to incorporate photos or sound into Power Points, lessons, worksheet, etc. can help to keep students interested as well as make documents or worksheets more kid friendly. There are a number of different software programs that go beyond the basics. Learning to access and use these different tools can be very beneficial to both teachers and students.