Thoughts about teaching apps

Some thought resulting from reading through the blogs http://www.stumpteacher.com/2015/11/im-not-resigning.html and http://www.stumpteacher.com/2011/02/i-resign-from-teaching.html by Josh Stumpenhorst 


So, curriculum requirements for BTA3O specify familiarity and functionality with spreadsheets and databases. But, seeing as how BTA3O is an open course, it comes with a mix of student abilities, 24 of them, and in a way an inflexible curriculum.
Traditionally, I used to teach the students from the front of the room, the teachers computer connected to the projector and project the demo work I was doing with explanations, and have the students replicate the work. This can work well if the students follow along, but it doesn't take long before individual help is required, and then the lesson needs to break, and so does the attention of the rest of the students. It becomes a constant battle to keep focus, because if instructions are missed ... or a student misses a day of lessons, it becomes increasingly hard to keep the class going.

So I ran across the http://www.gcflearnfree.org/ site: Tutorials that enable users to teach themselves how to use the software. Instructions in word/diagram form as well as video tutorials are available to meet the various audio / visual learner requirements, and now I can really help students when they have problems. Students can be help individually accountable for lessons and learning, and can even look at or watch at home. A much better but still not perfect scenario.

Are online tutorials better?
So a few days back I had an EdCom visit. -- We are a private school and our board's Education Committee visits us in our rooms once in a while to gauge teaching, classroom atmosphere and just see what is going on. (I have no problem with this.) -- Anyway, I went with a more traditional approach, teaching the students how to use the if statement in a spreadsheet. I thought the lesson went well, and so did the observers. However, the next day when I quizzed the students, it was like the previous day never happened. So I spent more time on it: 3 more days. Next time I think I'll give them homework like going to another tutorial site with a related question on Google forms.

So now it's database time, and this time I quickly introduced the Access program, more like a tour, and switched into online tutorial mode. I am wondering how setting up queries is going to go. . .
And I am still working on encouraging learners to understand that at the end they are accountable for their own learning.