The purpose of this project is to help the learner understand similarities and differences between word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation software programs and then to be able to apply this knowledge when choosing which type of software to use in a given situation. The material is presented in Powerpoint in kiosk mode and is interactive and engaging. It was written to be used with middle school students.
This is a stand-alone instructional resource (StAIR) and multiple instructional strategies are used:
1) The instructional strategy of guiding students to identify similarities and differences (Marzano) is used to enhance students understanding of and ability to use the appropriate digital tool. Representing similarities and differences in graphic form is also used.
2) The deductive approach is used in the following way: General concept is presented → Specific examples are listed → Students practice responding. This approach is incorporated in both the instructional portion of the tutorial and the response to quiz questions sections.
3) The inductive approach is used in the following way: Specific examples are presented→ General concepts are listed→ Students practice responding.This approach is incorporated in the response to quiz questions sections of the tutorial.
4) Use of multimedia supports multiple intelligences (Gardner). Visual- Students read text, a poster, and tables of information. They also watch a video. Auditory- Sound is incorporated as a way to reinforce correct responses and to alert the learner when incorrect answers are given. For fun, an Excel music video is included. Kinesthetic- Interactions are built into the tutorial requiring students to respond to questions and to move the program along via “action” buttons.
5) Since students will be using this material in a self-directed manner, Learning Styles and Strategies (Felder and Silverman) also apply in the following interactive features including: Intuitive (learners often prefer discovering possibilities and relationships) Hyperlinking: Links to other slides, other material and third party content such as external websites. Sensing (learners tend to like learning facts) Hyperlinks are used to get detailed information on other slides. Sequential (Learners tend to gain understanding in linear steps) The presentation is well structured and easy to navigate. Visual, Verbal, and Active Learning Styles and Strategies apply similarly to those listed above for visual, auditory, and kinesthetic in MI theory.
6) The instructional strategy of reinforcing effort and providing recognition (Marzano) is also used in the feedback the learner gets from responding to questions.
