Educational software: types, features and uses

The latest technologies can also be used to promote effective ways of learning.

Over the years, society has undergone a transformation in which the use of new technologies has spread throughout all areas, and as is evident, the field of teaching and pedagogy has also wanted to take advantage of their potential benefits.

This change in the dynamics of teaching/learning is materialized in the creation of a series of educational softwares that support the use of new technologies. educational software to support both educators and students.. Throughout this article we will describe their main characteristics and types, as well as their potential uses or functions and their disadvantages.

What is educational software?

Also known as instructional software, educational software is teaching programs that use digital platforms to support both teachers and students. digital platforms to support both teachers and students in the teaching/learning process. in the teaching/learning process. And although they may seem very new, their beginnings date back to the 60s and 70s.

These programs are specifically designed to facilitate and enhance the acquisition of exclusively academic knowledge. That is, this must be their main purpose and it must be explicitly stated. This means that, although they can also be found in some work environments, they are not considered educational software as such.

However, although these resources are mainly used in school contexts, there are also programs in which learning can be done at home, thus enhancing and supporting the knowledge acquired in the classroom.

Thanks to these programs or computer applications, the student can reinforce his or her knowledge in different curricular reinforce their knowledge in different curricular subjects of all kinds, from the most practical ones, such as mathematics or languagesincluding from the most practical ones such as mathematics or languages, to those of a more theoretical nature such as history, biology or geography.

Thanks to the immense amount of possibilities that educational software can offer, information or knowledge can be presented in a great variety of forms; from diagrams or sketches of information, to questionnaires or games. This great variability in the format, facilitates the motivation and interest of students.

What are its characteristics?

For an educational software program to be considered as such, it must meet a series of characteristics. Among the main requirements are that it must be used specifically by educators and students. However, there are many other characteristics, among which are the following:

• Possibility of being used in any subject or field of education.
• It is an interactive tool..
• They have the ability to adapt to the needs of students and their characteristics. Including the age, the school year or the individual capabilities of these.
• They are easy to use. Both educators and learners should be able to install, understand and run the program without any problems. without any problems.
• Depending on the purpose of the educational software, it can be more directive in nature or, on the contrary, more constructivist, where the learner creates his or her own conclusions or knowledge.

How many different types are there?

Taking into account the specific purpose of the educational software or the way in which the interaction between the educator and the learner is carried out, we can distinguish between several different types or categories of software. These categories are:

1. Problem solving.

The first category refers to programs specially created to foster problem-solving skills. To do so, the learner must follow a series of sequences or perform certain kinds of exercises that provide the necessary tools to solve a puzzle.

Throughout this process, the student will have to develop hypotheses, conjectures or assumptions that he will have to verify in order to solve the enigma or conflict posed.

2. Exercise and practice

In the educational software of exercise and practice, the student is presented with a series of exercises or tasks in which, after completion, he/she will have to solve the puzzle or conflict, feedback is provided on how the individual's performance has been carried out. by the individual.

Through these exercises, which may take the form of tests or questionnaires, the student can put into practice the knowledge acquired previously.

Simulation

These programs offer the possibility of recreating environments or situations in which the learner can interact and which are not possible to recreate in the academic context or would be too costly to do so.

4. Tutorial

In tutorial type software, the objective is to the transmission of knowledge between the program, which acts as an educator, and the learner.. Through a series of guidelines similar to those of a teacher in class, the program offers a series of explanations, practical exercises and feedback on the student's performance.

5. Game

In instructional games, the objective is to increase learner motivation by implementing tests with rewards. With them, attention can be can maintain attention and increase interest in the subject matter..

What functions or uses can they have?

Due to the great variability and the large number of possibilities offered by educational software, a large number of uses or potential functions are attributed to it:

1. Innovation

These programs have the capacity to be in constant evolution, which means an innovation in the teaching/learning processes.

2. Informative

Computer software is the teaching practice that can hold and transmit the greatest amount of information to the student. to the learner.

3. Motivating

Thanks to the variety of possibilities offered by these programs, students feel more motivated and attracted to discover them.

4. Instruction

The platform has the ability to explain any type of content, either explicitly or through the development of games or activities.either explicitly or through the development of games or activities.

5. Expression

The educational software is an ideal platform to enhance the expressiveness of the students, who can contribute their own point of view of the knowledge and share it with the rest.

6. Research

Thanks to less directive programs, the learner can develop his own research procedures. Especially in those that offer simulation activities..

7. Playful

Thanks to educational software, learning is understood or interpreted as a playful and entertaining activity that reinforces the students' desire to learn.