Since the turn of the century, software has been weaving its way into the fabric of the education sector and playing a pivotal role in empowering teachers with the tools for modern pedagogy. The vast array of software programmes now available has changed the way students receive, process and reference information making it more interesting and more accessible to more students.
The primary benefit of using education software in the classroom is that it offers students a wide variety of options for learning such as solving academic problems, connecting with classmates, and taking complete control of their learning experience.
Software has also enabled the education syllabus to expand into a more practical way of learning, opening up opportunities in subjects such as graphic design, multimedia and animation. Children as young as reception age are fluent with tablets and handheld computers, this should be nurtured by providing them with the educational software that will help them to learn in their preferred style and develop this throughout their learning careers.
Introducing software to younger students sets them in good stead for their future. Ensuring they develop a positive attitude towards the programmes will make them more confident and improve self-esteem as they are able to do more self-study without as much help from parents or teachers. It’s up to the educational facility to introduce their students to educational software and optimise their learning.
Productivity software
For students, the introduction of software helps to increase productivity through improved data-based management systems such as Filemaker and allows for flexibility in editing PDF documents with Eordshare and Abbyy FineReader. Word processing has also become more convenient with the use of Corel’s office suite which includes extensive file compatibility.
A reliable security software such as iolo offers a range of features to protect the IT infrastructure from viruses and spyware without unnecessary add-ons or background activities that would slow the network down.
Design and illustration software such as Quark and Reallusion, music and video software such as Wondershare, and multimedia software like Magix are encouraging learners of all ages to be more creative in their learning.
Creativity plays such a key role in a student’s emotional development by improving communication and social skills it also opens doors to future career pathways. Software makes utilising this method of learning more accessible and fun to all.
Digital content is the type of education technology that can help the most with assistive learning techniques. For students with special educational needs (SEND) software such as Nuance can make learning more accessible, particularly for those who have visual, hearing and motor disabilities.
One of the most common Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD) is Dyslexia, with approximately 16% of the UK population having some form of the learning difficulty. Designed by people who have lived with dyslexia and dysgraphia, Ghotit is a reading and writing assistant which provides a wealth of support on a daily basis for students who experience the same requirements.
Security is often a big concern when it comes to digitising processes, especially in environments where the data being captured, shared and stored is sensitive and private. One of the biggest threats to school systems is from virus and malware attacks. By using security software such as iolo, which uses advanced artificial intelligence to protect school IT systems against viruses, worms, trojans, rootkits, spyware and other types of malware.
