What Is The Most Common Educational Software Found In Schools?
The most common educational software found in schools caters mostly to children in nursery, primary, middle and high school, and these invariably focus on reading, math, and some science. This makes sense as studies have shown that computer-aided instruction or e-learning is most effective in the 3 to 18 years old bracket. However, there are signs that the development of educational software for college students is on the upswing.
Common educational software for children in nursery, primary, middle and high schools present the subject matter in the form of stories and games, with tests appearing as small challenges. Learning occurs in an interactive environment where a concept is introduced and demonstrated through attractive animation and sound. Students are allowed to progress at their own pace. Some software have a teacher mode where the progress can be monitored so that the weak areas can be addressed.
The advantage of educational software in schools is that students may work at problems individually or as a group. It also provides instant feedback, where students are informed if their answer is correct or not. If the answer is incorrect, the students are shown how to correctly answer the problem. The better software would present the problem differently the next time around so that an understanding of the concept is reinforced.
Parents can also opt to buy similar, if not the same, software for their children's use while at home. This is also a boon for home schooling as it is an additional tool for learning.
A major drawback of educational software found in schools is that most of the early versions were designed with the desktop in mind. Most of the software makers are companies with an eye at the profits they will make, so they tailor their software to run on proprietary operating systems. With changes in operating systems and hardware coming at nearly 3-year intervals, software makers are hard put to update their products continuously. As a consequence, software obsolescence is becoming a definite consideration for schools. The answer could lie in the use of the Internet as a delivery medium from software companies to schools. Future software can be patterned after the success of Massive Multi-player Online Role Playing Games, where the basic software may be updated as needed and content delivered from servers.
With the Internet as its backbone, educational software can go beyond the physical school, effectively extending the campus to the student's room. This is a big advantage especially for persons with disabilities. Instruction can then be adapted to fit the needs of individual students. Time, place, and space become extensions of the learning environment.
Some people argue that if students spend most of their time interacting with a computer rather than with people, their ability to socialize effectively may be hampered. They can lose touch with what other people around them are doing and begin to harbor feelings of isolation and alienation. The key however is to balance educational software interaction with pedagogy from a human teacher as well as enhanced group dynamics with fellow students.
Some people argue that if students spend most of their time interacting with a computer rather than with people, their ability to socialize effectively may be hampered. They can lose touch with what other people around them are doing and begin to harbor feelings of isolation and alienation. The key however is to balance educational software interaction with pedagogy from a human teacher as well as enhanced group dynamics with fellow students.
What all this means is that the common educational software in schools should be supplemental to the very human dynamics in the classroom to be effective.
Educational Software
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