SOFTWARE
EVALUATION
Software Reviewed By: Jessica Holbert
Title
of Software: Decisions,
Decisions
|
Product name |
Tom Snyder Productions |
|
Version/Date |
“Lying, Cheating, Stealing”; 1996 |
|
Platform / Operating system |
Win 3.x; Win95; Win98; WinNT(additional student-grouping
option with this); MAC; IBM 486 compatible
or higher |
ESL/EFL
Level(s)*:
Intermediate;
High Intermediate; Advanced
*Skill level is not directly indentified, but it seems that a learner
would have to be at an intermediate level to use program efficiently.
Age
group*:
middle
grades; high school; college age; adult interest
*The plot for the activities centers around a high school student
making moral choices, but the content is appropriate for most ages.
ASSESSMENT
|
Type
of Program: |
x Problem
Solving x Simulation x
Informational x
Game-like x ESL-Specific x
Exploratory Activities x Critical Thinking x
Collaboration N/A Non-ESL Specific N/A Testing N/A Text
Reconsruction N/A Text Construction (note-taking
is required) N/A Drill and Practice N/A Informational N/A Student
Tool N/A Teacher
Tool |
|
User
friendliness: |
Excellent |
|
English
Language Areas Covered: |
x Reading x Speaking x Writing xListening
xCultural Competence xComputer xConversational N/A Vocabulary (not directly) N/A Grammar
(not directly) |
|
What
does the program try to accomplish? |
Ø
This
goal of this program is for students to learn language through negotiation of
meaning with other students by making decisions based on options given
throughout the activity. There are three different scenarios from which to
choose. Ø
It
is similar to a role-playing game, in that each team takes on the persona of
a beginning high school student who is just starting in a new school and does
not yet have any friends. Ø
The
class is first split into teams, or students may participate as a whole class.
Ø
They
must then prioritize three pre-set goals, plus one of their own design. The
teams must choose from different options and then face the next decision
based on the one made before it. Ø
The
decision-making process is aided by bits of advice and pieces of the puzzle
provided both from the software and from an accompanying paper-based journal.
(The software package comes with 30 identical journals). Ø
The
program is specifically designed to improve critical thinking skills and to
encourage collaboration within the student teams. |
|
Pedagogical
considerations--Program Operation:
|
Ø
The
program comes with a booklet which addresses the various procedures and
possibilities for classroom use. It
is invaluable as a guide, as it takes the teacher through the set-up process
for each system and demonstrates the individualization possible for each
classroom.* *For instance, if your classroom
has one computer, you may want to choose to have the whole class be one team,
or make a multi-team rotation. For a
computer lab situation, you may want to choose the small team approach and
have many groups working at once. Also, with the network version of the
program, you can create a multi-team network and have up to 20 teams going at
once. The possibility of on-line
discussion is also possible. From
Listserv, a class may join the Decisions, Decisions discussion group
and debate the issues addressed in the program. Ø
The
booklet also has many tips for teachers, such as how to distribute the
students among the various teams, how to manage the teams, and follow-up
discussion ideas. Ø
Free
technical support is available. Ø
There
is a considerable time investment involved to complete a simulation;
depending on how the class is divided and the size of the class, the
activities are said to take from 3-7 days to complete. Ø
The
program is quick and easy to install and is very simple to use. Learners can save their work in a file
that can be accessed at a later date.
Also, students may end the simulation at any time and save their
progress. |
|
Pedagogical
considerations: Feedback
|
Ø
The
author has broken down the critical thinking process into five different
stages: o
Analyze the situation o
Determine the goals for the team. o
Consider all the options as they appear. o
Make a decision. o
Evaluate how well the team met the
goal and if the team “did the right
thing”. Ø
One
of the more interesting features of this arrangement is that there is no
right or wrong answer. At the end of
each final decision, each team decides for itself if they reached the first
goal from the prioritized list made at the beginning of the activity. (They
pick a thumbs-up, -down, or -sideways).
A score is then generated for each group depending on their
self-evaluation. (A good follow-up
discussion would be to discuss each group’s decisions and have the rest of
the class assess whether or not the goal was met). Ø
The
lack of feedback from the “game” itself forces discussion among students as
to who did or did not ”do the right thing” . Ø
Follow-up
activities that encourage application of the skills learned during Decsions,
Decsions is encouraged for teacher evaluation of the students’
integration of those skills. |
|
Pedagogical
Considerations: Content |
x Well organized x Well sequenced* x
Enjoyable
language understandably x Provides meaningful interaction
between computer & learner x
Provides communicative interaction between students*** x
Creates challenge without anxiety x Free of excessive
violence x Free of stereotypes x Takes advantage of computer's
unique capability *
The layout is very simple and can be easily understood and manipulated
by even a novice computer user. The
sequence of steps and decisions are solely dependent on the decisions made
before it, which creates a directed flow for the teams. A clear sense of cause and effect is
demonstrated. **
What makes the program interesting is that the goals are
individualized for each team. Because
of this feature, different choices can be made that are “not the right thing
to do”, but may still achieve the goal of the group. This developes many opportunities for
debate and discussion. *** This is the main goal of Decisions, Decsions. The program is set up to achieve this goal
efficiently. It is recommended that
student groups be made up of mixed learner levels, so groups may need to be
monitored to be sure all students are participating equally.
|
|
Pedagogical
considerations: Program
Output |
x Attractive screens xColor N/A
Video
|
This software program addresses the importance of student collaboration and negotiation of meaning for language learning. The interactive approach forces the learner to use top-down processing skills and to think critically before choosing options. A cooperative learning atmosphere and forum for debate is able to be formed, with no one ever being “wrong”. There is ample opportunity for follow-up activities, especially for written or oral skills. I would recommend this software to any classroom whose objectives include improvement of academic, conversational, or critical thinking skills.