Instructional software is software designed to delivered academic content.

It supports the
teachers instruction. There are five categories to instructional software;1. Drill and practice, 2.
Tutorials or information deliver, 3. Simulations, 4. Skill practice, sometimes through games, and
5. Problem solving skills. Instructional software delivers content to students. Productivity
software differs in that it helps teachers get tasks done quicker, easier, and more accurately.
Some examples of instructional software are: BrainPOP, Gizmos, FractionNation, FasTTMath,
and Read180.

Instructional software can differentiate instruction, provide pre- and post- assessment and
provide a delivery system that is unique to each individual student. The software can provide
more immediate, more accessible data that can then be used to inform instruction. A summarized
version of Blooms level of critical thinking/ taxonomy, a framework for categorizing
educational goals, (starting at the first level) is Remembering, Understanding, Applying,
Analyzing, Evaluating, and Creating. Educational software can meet each student at their
assessment level, and can bring them along the pyramid of critical thinking. After a student
remembers their facts about math, they can then apply it to a word problem using an adaptive
software that adjusts to their learning level. After they have applied their skill in several
computer-generated scenarios, they can then evaluate the facts provided by the software, and
create a new, life-applicable word problem for their classmates to solve. They can progress at
their own learning speed using their own style, while other students are working at their own
level. The content can be differentiated, or can be taught to the edge so that all areas are
covered and the content reaches each student.
This area is constantly growing and expanding as the data-driven results are analyzed. New areas
to watch for are online learners with other users, field trips using virtual reality, distance learning
for home bound students, apps that are available outside of school areas, and collaboration
between students and teachers in other school districts.
Instructional software lends itself easily to constructivist learning, especially in special
education. It lends itself to higher order thinking and cooperative learning strategies. It enhances
relevance. The traditional manner of teaching is direct instruction, where the teacher delivers the
instruction explicitly and directly. This works for many students and often it is the way teachers
are taught to teach. In constructivist learning, students are encouraged to own their own learning,
using prior knowledge and applying it to future learning. Social interactions can be a familiar
debility in students in special education, and this type of learning encourages the use of social
interactions to improve learning. The use of collaborative learning software, like brain mapping,
can encourage this type of learning, without requiring the face to face challenges that some
students face. Teachers serve as guides in this type of lesson, keeping the flow towards the
content goal.