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What is educational software?
Educational software programs are generally designed as activity centers (i.e. Arthur's Preschool), where the user can choose what to do, or as goal oriented mission/adventures (i.e. Cluefinder's 3rd Grade Adventure) where the path is set and the user is working to a specific objective (often a "whodonit" mystery). Either way, learning is done through puzzles, games and activities which are developing and testing a skill or eliciting knowledge.
You will also find programs that have a format very similar to a book, but will then have all kinds of interactive elements that will allow the child to learn or test their retention of the material presented.
Programs for older kids and adults can become very sophisticated in terms of constructing a complete learning path for the learner defined by their specific learning interests. (I.e. the Tell Me More language learning series). Programs like these rely more on the quality of learning content delivery, interactivity, and instant performance feedback rather than game type activity
Regardless of the overall design, the intent is to engage the learner to the point where they are willing to participate in learning or skill building exercises. The program's quality of design and depth of content will determine the learner's desire to use the software. For educational software to work, it has to be entertaining and engagingly interactive, and the good ones are.
Will educational software help my child learn?
Through exposure to new knowledge ( i.e. the ecology of a rainforest), practice of an emerging skill (i.e. reading or math) or both instruction and practice ( i.e. learning the fundamentals of music or playing the piano), good learning software will definitely help your child or student learn.
As many learning programs are structured as a game or a collection of play activities, it can be easy to believe that the educational value is probably "lite" ("edutainment"). In fact, good learning software does both well. Good software is simply engaging the user first in a game type experience they will enjoy, and then interweaving the learning activities within the game. The enjoyment in the game provides the motivation to do the learning related activities. For those that like succeeding at an activity, the instantaneous performance feedback scores are also a great motivator.
With that said, recognize generally that learning software acts as a complement to the primary learning experience. What it can do well, in a supporting role to skill related areas such as reading and math, is encourage practice, give instant performance feedback, provide extended learning (once a base knowledge or skill is in place) and provide remedial support. In the context of acquiring new knowledge (i.e. science or nature), software can be a very engaging way to introduce subject area knowledge and understanding. Learning software is not a substitute to the engaging human interaction of the teacher and the learner. In a support role to the learning process however, good learning software can be marvellous resource both at home and in the classroom.
How do the programs work?
To advance in any game or structured goal oriented activity, learning software presents a series of challenges that are designed to exercise and embed existing skills, such as math or reading, or to provide knowledge learning in areas such as science, geography, or history. The motivation to do the learning activities is simply that you have to do them, in order to advance in the larger game.
In Adventures in Typing with Timon and Pumbaa (see right), for example, the specific skills of typing are taught in step by step modules, and interspersed with practice sessions, and games that are enormously fun AND develop your typing accuracy and speed. Pinball Science or The New Way Things Work (see right) introduce children to areas of science using a text based approach and then introduces puzzles and construction activity to engage the learner.
In addition to skill and knowledge development, the learning value in good educational software resides in developing both the child's patience and ability to understand and follow instruction, developing problem solving skills, and gaining confidence in navigating software on a computer.
The valued qualities of good learning software lie in four areas. First, the software provides an interactive experience that many children will enjoy. Second, it matches the level of challenge to the capability of the individual learner to ensure an appropriate level of challenge and learning. Third, the program allows the child to control the pace as a means of retaining their interest and involvement. Fourth, and perhaps most importantly, the user receives immediate feedback as he or she is learning. This latter point is very important as all of us, in a learning experience, want feedback. "How am I doing so far?"
How does learning from software differ from learning in the classroom?
Most learning software does not replace classroom learning. It supports what is occurring in the classroom. The advantages of educational software, as a tool, are that kids can use it at home or in their own time, it can embed learning specific elements through repeated exposure and practice, and very importantly, provide instant feedback on performance.
Users are also making their own choices about what to learn and how to learn, as they progress at their own speed. This flexibility of pace is very hard to provide when you are teaching 25+ students at the same time. Children are also learning to work independently and developing their self discipline.
How does educational software match the level of challenge to the learner?
All good programs have different levels of difficulty. Most programs have, at minimum, 3 levels of difficulty. Others offer multiple levels of challenge that calibrate to the user's skill level and provide the right amount of challenge for children of different ages or capabilities. This is why when you see a math program designed for children ages 6 to 12, for example, this is possible in one program.
Most good software will either automatically adapt to the skill level of the user by noticing the initial performance of the user and then adjust up or down, or allow the user to set their own desired skill level (i.e. easy, medium, or difficult). Most good programs work both ways.
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