Key Questions to Ask When Selecting Educational Software

Computer use in the classroom can provide students with external motivation and keep them engaged in their school work. Teachers should select the computers software based on the students' needs. The learning activities should naturally fit instructional goals or objectives and they should meet the needs of the students. (Dell and Newton et al., 2012)

There are some key questions that should be considered when selecting educational applications to meet students' goals and objectives. 

• What is the intended outcome of the use of the educational application? 
• Example: Is it meant to strengthen math skills in problem solving or is it meant to build speed and accuracy with basic math facts?
• Is the educational applications likely to fulfill its stated purpose?
• Example: If the stated purpose of the activity is to build problem-solving skills, does it provide the explanatory feedback needed to do so or simply assess whether or not problems are solved correctly? 
• Can the educational applications be used as an alternative to traditional classroom activities to enhance students' participation?
• Example: Will students learn as effectively using online math manipulatives as they would using traditional manipilatives?

 (Dell and Newton et al., 2012)

References

Dell, A., Newton, D. and Petroff, J. (2012). Assistive technology in the classroom. Boston: Pearson.