Blog Journal #6

Digital Media Software is a program used on a computer that used multimedia elements, that usually include interaction and is therefore referred to also as interactive digital media. Digital Media Software accepts instructions from an input device such as a keyboard, mouse, or microphone and then acts according to those instructions. For example when children play video games today they use a control to tell the computer what to do. These types of interactive programs are made for video games today and computers as well. There are many games that children can play that can help them learn new facts and ideas about any given topic. When playing a game children do not realize that they are learning, and do not resist to playing because they are having fun. These programs that children can learn and play at the same time are called educational software application. These applications help students to reinforce information in an enjoyable way.

The last project that we had to do was the Web Source Evaluation. It helped me to realize that you cannot believe everything you read on the internet because anyone with a computer can create a website. We had to create an evaluation sheet to help students figure out if the web source they are using for their project is a valid source of information. The evaluation included information such as the currency of the website, the authority, the accuracy, the objectivity, and the relevance. A student, or any researcher, should use these five topics before quoting any information from a website.

Not only can children have stimulation in a classroom through the teacher intergrading technology in the classroom, but today the majority of students have programs and applications to help them learn at home. There are many video games and computer software that a child can have at home to help them review a lesson. As a child one of my favorite computer games was Oregon's Trail, and I used to play it all the time. It was a game in which you would go through a town on the east coast, a colony, and buy items to help you move west. You had to buy food and supplies to help your family and friends make it the whole trip west. Then after you have finally bought everything you needed, then you would begin your journey. The game would simulate your trip west, and many events would occur that would happen to the people of that time period. You had to hunt for food, cross rivers, decide what to do when someone died, there were epidemics and disease outbreaks, and all of this helped me to understand the day in the life of a settler who moved west. It is games such as this one that children can play in order help them fully realize the reality and understand the information.