Week Seven - Learning Software and File Management

In week seven we mainly focused on software and file management.  Software can be defined simply as, the programs and other operating information used by a computer or organized collections of computer data and instructions.  File management is important because you must know what kind of program created a file in order to open it and keeping files organized is essential for productivity. 

I had a hard time choosing a piece of software to use in the classroom because I’m not yet teaching and it has been so long since I was in a classroom that used any type of learning software.  The options are overwhelming but I did a search for top-rated educational software and a few different ones kept popping up.  Imagine my surprise when one of them was The Oregon Trail by The Learning Company, this is actually a software program that I have some familiarity with, since it was one of the only programs in the computer lab when I was in elementary school in the early 1990s. 

I did choose The Oregon Trail as the software that I would use in the classroom due in part to that familiarity but also because of the top ratings it continues to receive even though the program was first designed in the 1970s.  The newest version of The Oregon Trail, the fifth edition was first available for sale on Amazon.com on January 1, 2000.  Primarily a simulation software, The Oregon Trail could be used during a unit on The Oregon Trail to illustrate the potential hazards and hardships the emigrants faced on their journey, the need for proper budgeting of food and other resources, the geography of The Oregon Trail and also reading and problem solving skills.

Because I don’t have a classroom to use the software in yet I downloaded a version for my iPhone to see what an updated version had to offer for students.  I have to admit that I was soon hooked, the game is fun and challenging but I think that the biggest issue when using it in the classroom would be in eking out the historical aspects and things that you really want students to learn about.  Although the game provides interesting tidbits of historical information and presents real challenges that emigrants faced it is extremely easy to get caught up in trying to beat a previous high score and forget that there is actual learning to be done.  I still think that The Oregon Trail software could be a valuable supplement to teaching a unit of The Oregon Trail as long as it is used as just that, a supplement.  I would make sure that the lesson plans included plenty of other activities and assignments that would bring The Oregon Trail to life for students.