Lesson 14: The Software as an Educational Resource

                   If the people heard the word computer, they are most likely thinking the hardware. Hardware is naturally an attention-getter, example of hardware are the printer, keyboard, mouse etc. We cannot use the hardware without the software. Software is the program or system that tells what the computer needs to do. Software has two kinds, and these are the system software and application software. System software is the operating system which can found inside all computer machines while the application software is the one which contains the system that commands the particular tasks, under the application software are the custom software and commercial software. Custom software is made for specific tasks often by large corporations. Commercial software packaged for personal computer that helps with a variety of tasks like writing papers, calculating numbers, drawing graphs and many more.

Microsoft windows

               It is an operating environment between the user and the computer operating system. Microsoft Windows also called “a shell”. Whenever we turned on a computer, we can see a colorful graphics interface called GUI, we can see it on the computer screen or monitor. Software that designed for Microsoft Windows is Windows 95, but Windows 95 already improved with Windows 2003, 2007 and also 2010. Windows is in itself a self-contained operating system which provides:

•  User convenience
•  A new look
• Information center
• Plug and play
• Instructional Software

                   It is the computer programs that serve as tools to be used by teachers to preface for instruction and maintain records. It can be visited on the Internet and we can buy it from software shops or dealers. The teacher through school should decide on the best computer-based instructional materials for the school resource collection. CBI needs much improvement so teacher should be aware on it. To evaluate the computer the computer-based education materials, here are the guidelines:

• Be extremely cautious in using CBIs and “free” Internet materials
• Don’t be caught up by attractive graphics, sound, animation, pictures, video clips, and music forgetting their instructional worth.
• Accuracy, coherence, logic of information
• Relevance/effectiveness in attaining learning objectives
• Absence of biased materials (e.g. gender bias or racial bias)

Reflection:


           The teacher always used the web-based softwares in teaching,because it is attractive they used colorful graphics, sounds and videos. Software is very important, it can do a lot of things and without the software we cannot used the computer.