Defining Types of Software

Before we can evaluate specific software titles, we must have a knowledge of what categories of software are available for educational purposes for student learning.  While there are no absolutes in creating these categories, there are seven general categories that seem to most often come up when describing educational software for student learning.  Those seven general categories are: Productivity; Drill and Practice; Tutorial; Reference; Simulation; Problem Solving; and Educational Games. 

You will find a brief description of the seven general categories below:

Productivity - Productivity software includes any software that can be used as a tool and helps you produce documents, spreadsheets, a database, or other products. Also included in the productivity category are the "Authoring" and "Presentation" programs. Examples of this Productivity software:  Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Access, Excel) , HyperStudio and KidPix.

Drill and Practice - Drill and Practice programs are those that present material to be learned through repetition. This type of program is valuable when teachers wish to drill on topics that will give immediate feedback. This type of software is often used to enhance lessons in mathematics or factual material. The obvious drawbacks are when there are too many Drill and Practice programs, then they may start to become "Drill and Kill".  Variety of options is always the key to an overall successful educational technology program in a school.  Examples of Drill and Practice software: Math Blaster and Number Munchers

Tutorials - Tutorial software is able to present material that has been previously taught or present new material learned in an individual setting. In essence, a Tutorial program will provide an opportunity to enhance previous learning or create new learning based on the curriculum objective. A good Tutorial offers help screens to give further explanation or further illustration. It will also be able to interpret the amount of information to present and how to present it. When we evaluate Tutorials, we need to evaluate if the Tutorial is not only able to present information, but must be able to interpret wrong answers. When it interprets wrong answers it should have the ability to continue the lesson from that point by providing feedback on the misunderstood information before continuing with new information.

Reference - Reference tools are programs which students use to look up information. These programs include dictionaries, encyclopedias, thesaurus, route-planning software, astronomy packages and CDs about history. 

Simulations - Simulation software gives us capabilities to implement settings that may not be possible through another means. A simulation can afford opportunities to test skills in real applications by creating situations that allow students to act in that situation. Simulations are used to 
teach procedural knowledge: such as learning how to fly a plane or drive a car. Good simulation programs can provide an environment for practice situations that are not possible in the classroom or may put the student at risk in a true environment. For example: a student could test a chemistry experiment without using real chemicals or dissecting a frog for biology without using a scalpel or animal. It is true that they can not replace the true experience, but it provides procedural learning when it is either too dangerous or not possible to be in a true setting.  Examples of Simulation software: SimCity 2000 and Incredible Laboratory

Problem Solving - Problem solving software presents problems for students to solve based on skills they have previously acquired. They provide applications of basic  problem solving strategies, means-end analysis, searching a problem space, brainstorming, heuristics, working backward, and incubation. (Patterson, Strickland, 1986) Problem solving software will help students to create and improve their problem solving strategies.

Instructional & Educational Games - Instructional or Educational Games are provided as a motivational tool and makes the student go through elaborate game procedures to master a number of skills. This is by far the most difficult software type to evaluate because it is questionable whether the skills used in the games are able to transfer to other concepts. It will be important to make sure that the curricular goals the software is supposed to address are clearly defined when evaluating the effectiveness of this type of software.

Understanding the types of software available will help a teacher to evaluate software by making educated judgments, as well as, helping educators to choose which software is best to meet the goals of the curriculum

Other Important Considerations When Reviewing Software

Hardware and system software requirements - Do the hardware and system requirements of the program exceed the hardware and software set-up on the student workstations.  How much hard drive space does the software require for installation and does that exceed the amount available on student workstations.  Does the program require a certain type of sound card?  Is this a network version where the main components of the software are stored on a server or is this program loaded directly on each workstation? If it is stored on the network, does the network have the capabilities to effectively deliver the application to the workstation.

Many programs that were initially designed for Windows 95 or Windows 98 do not operate as well on Windows XP even though the vendor's documentation states otherwise.  One issue with software being used on an XP workstation is whether or not it will work properly if the user does not have Administrator rights on an XP machine.  Some software requires that the user have Administrator rights.  If that is the case, that software cannot be used on Shelbyville workstations since student and teacher users do not have Administrator rights on any XP workstation.

Ease of startup - Is the installation process straightforward.  Is this a network version where the main components of the software are stored on a server or is this program loaded directly on each workstation? 

Ease of use - Is the software designed so a child can use it?  Can a child with limited computer skills easily operate the software? For example, to move around on the screen, do you simply use the mouse or the arrow keys on the keyboard, or does the program require you to enter some arcane keystroke combination, such as CTRL- U for "up"?

Intuitiveness - Is it obvious what you have to do on each screen?  How often did you get "stuck" when reviewing the software? In my opinion, you should not need to look at the manual in order to perform the software's basic functions from the student's point of view.  There may be administrative or teacher tasks that require the use of a manual, but any student functions should be very obvious.

Support – Software should never be purchased unless there is some investigation into whether or not the technical support the vendor offers will be easy for teachers to access.  There is a general misconception that the SCS Technology Department will debug problems with software, which is not accurate.  SCS Technology Department will install the software as directed by the vendor and make sure the computer systems and network are operating properly.  If there are problems with how the software functions after the software has been installed properly on a computer system that is operating properly, the vendor is then responsible to correct any problems with the software since they are the ones that wrote and designed the program.

Flash and Substance - Many programs look GREAT when you first start using them.  They might have a large amount of "Flash" appeal on first look.  But the key is whether or not they still are great programs after you have used them for a week or so.  While "flash" is a factor, ultimately "substance", content and delivery are the keys to whether or not the software programs will help the student achieve their academic goals.

Bang for the Buck - Cost Effectiveness - Software budgets are a zero-sum game since there are limited financial resources to purchase software.  There are several software packages that are well-designed, visually appealing and content-rich, but the problem may be that the program's cost is too high to justify purchasing the program since that would limit the ability to purchase other software titles to address other curricular needs of other students.  Cost effectiveness is a serious consideration when prioritizing what software packages to purchase for a district.

The reviewer also needs to be aware of whether or not there are any hardware purchases needed in addition to the software price.  Recently, there was a software packages that was brought to my attention that needed a specific kind of network server to operate on.  It was not a server we have in the district and it also required some server software that is notorious for being susceptible to computer viruses.  The software price was less than half of the cost after you factored in the server and server software, plus there was an ongoing yearly licensing fee we would have to pay for the server software, PLUS the additional costs for virus protection software for the server.  While the software cost was about $2,000 per building, the additional costs in network hardware and software put the final installation cost well over $6,000 per building with yearly licensing fees for server software every year after that.

Software Titles Under Review

Inspiration and Kidspiration - Two of the software titles we are reviewing are Inspiration and Kidspiration.  You can download and install a fully functioning version of either (or both) programs that will be good for 30 days.  If you want to download the 30 day trial version, click here or contact your office to see if they have the installation disk for the trial versions. 

Type to Learn and Type to Learn Jr. - Click here to see more information about Type to Learn products and to view an online preview of the software.

Also check out Shelbyville's Keyboarding Resource page for more information about keyboarding resources on the Internet.

SuperKids Software Review - Typing Programs

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