Brogan, Patricia. (2001). The Good, The Bad, and the Useless. Retrieved September 27,2003, from

http://www.electronic-school.com/2001/03/0301f3.html

The Good, The Bad, and the Useless, refers not to students, but to software. Recognizing the signs of quality software to be specific. One key point raised in the article is that consumers often associate quality with price, and this is a valid assumption, but there are exceptions. Ask these questions before purchasing any software:

• Will it provide the actual instruction, or is it a supplement?
• Is the goal to practice to reinforce rote learning, or is it to provide information?

Answers to these questions determine the software you will want to select. The majority of software for educational purposes is designed as drill and practice. These types of software do not adapt to individual learners, nor do they provide customized pathways for instruction. The article moves into pitfall to avoid when selection software, and urges the selection of software with real world connections.

I enjoyed the section on evaluation, especially how to evaluate graphics and packing that can distract from learning or identifying quality. Quality programs should also require students to do something and be actively involved with the program. Assessment is something that interests me, and software that can do this is of specific interest, the author was quick to point out that if used for assessment it is critical that the software does not frustrate the learner. My big issues with software and instruction in general goes back to real world connections and applications. I remember vividly the swimming pool problem in math class dealing with rates of flow. If you are filling a swimming pool at X rate and the pool drain is open and flowing at Y rate how long will it take to fill the pool? My response was close the drain dummy! I could never get past the lack of logic in the problem, and it got in the way of understanding. I can see the potential for poor quality software to have the same effect. The tips in this article led me to go ahead and ask for the money to purchase software called Horticopia. It is pricey, but the quality is excellent, and I felt more comfortable with my purchasing decision after reading the article.