Two other software examples that may be used for instruction and learning in an educational setting include Number Munchers and Oregon Trail. These games were used in the late 1980s and early 1990s in order to teach children their multiplication tables, teach problem solving skills, understand how to plan properly, react to situations, understand trading and bartering, and provide them with a first person perspective on a particular time within United States History. Number Munchers is now available in online format and the web designer for this online format is willing to work with schools to allow them to incorporate this web based version of the game into their lesson plans; alternately, teachers may contact the developer and programmer to use the program in their classrooms separate from lesson plans themselves and instead allow students to run through the game if they finish their work early, before the next assignment is to start. The Oregon Trail is available as its original version in emulator form, still produced by The Learning Company, as it was years ago. Alternately, schools may purchase the newest versions of the game from The Learning Company directly and may either incorporate this game into a lesson plan regarding the Oregon Trail itself, or incorporate it into a problem solving lesson, a budget balancing lesson (as when buying supplies at the start of the journey), or as a part of a lesson regarding the reactions of individuals to situations and critical thinking skills.
These two programs provided an entire generation of students with knowledge needed in order to be able to assist them in their successes in life, and there is no reason that they cannot be incorporated again. While Number Munchers has one specific application, The Oregon Trail may be used for many different purposes, working to assist individuals in their continued quest for knowledge.
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"Instructional Software for 21st Century Teaching".
Instructional Software for 21st Century Teaching: Discussion 2
Instructional software is used in many different ways in a classroom setting, from drills and practice to tutorials, simulations to instructional games, and even to enhance problem solving skills. In order to incorporate both Number Munchers and The Oregon Trail into my own instructional setting, it would be possible to integrate these programs in a variety of different ways. If I were teaching grade school mathematics, I would use Number Munchers in two different ways. I would select one day in order to be able to have my class use the school’s computer lab, explain the basics of the game, and count the gameplay, and their scores, as a participatory grade. Students would be given one “freebie” round to get used to the gameplay and the controls and be able to ensure that they both understand and are able to adapt to the gameplay itself; the next round would count towards the grade, working to ensure they have a firm grasp of the multiplication tables. The second way I would integrate this would be to have it setup on a machine in the classroom for students to take turns on if they complete their work early. For The Oregon Trail, I would use it with a history lesson on the self-same topic, again reserving the computer lab, and after reviewing the history, have the students complete a run through of the game for a participation grade. I would also print out the different numbers provided as base statistics for supplies purchasing at the start of the game and provide the package choices in the same manner. Students will receive the original pricing of individual items as well, be asked to determine the best out of their options and put together their starting package, and write an essay explaining why they have chosen to allocate the money in that matter. We will then review budgets and choices, and reserve the computer lab for a second time, wherein students must test out the choices that they have made to see the practicality of their choices.
- NumberMunchers.org. (2013). Number munchers. Retrieved from http://www.numbermunchers.org/
- The Learning Company. (2013). The Oregon trail. Retrieved from http://www.oregontrail.com/
