Educational Software - Enhancing Traditional Education

Educational software primary purpose is to teach or enable self-learning, and is essential in any learning environment and allowing teachers and students maximize the power of the computer. The interactive software is usually self paced, so your child may study at their own level while retaining confidence while learning. The software is principally designed for people with less understanding and skill in order to help them develop by building skills gradually and sequentially in a way that guarantees success through the effective use of reward, reinforcement and review.

Students and teachers use educational software to augment their traditional teaching and learning tools. Software titles are usually specialized and produced by a wide variety of manufacturers, including established educational book publishers. Ideally the software should also have varied presentation modes so it can be used in the various ways people teach and learn: in a class discussion to introduce concepts; with several users in cooperative learning groups; and in individualized instruction, adapting to the needs of each user. The ideal software program should engage and keep its users' attention with colorful graphics, sounds, and animations. The functional design of educational software programs for home use has been influenced strongly by video games; they are designed to be fun as they are educational. Many software programs also perform some type of pre-screening of a student's achievement level, so that future sessions will be at an appropriate level. Software without these attributes are judged to be boring and of inferior quality. Software is written for all skill levels from preschool kids, to comprehensive high school software packages that practically cover every subject. Educational publishers know their technologies will help students learn if it is able to: engages students in active learning, measurably improves learning, able to accommodate students’ individual needs, and effectively complements existing teaching styles.

Educational software should open the minds of students, allowing them to experiment and absorb new concepts by providing a fresh and dynamic means of skills reinforcement and application. Great software titles can motivate a kid to learn because the process is engaging and adds a new dimension to how children are taught through critical thinking and creative learning, helping children get a much needed boost with their school subjects. The software can also be used to provide individualized academic support, and thereby increase the time available for direct instruction.

Today, educational software is regarded as indispensable in learning environments, by allowing both teachers and students to make best use of the educational functions of the computer, designed to be fun for children while enhancing their learning at the same time. It doesn’t matter how well the software is designed, if it is not fun it will not work very well. Studies have shown time and time again that educational software is very effective enhances the quality of teaching and helps students comprehend at a higher level.