Application Software Productivity Tools for Educators Chapter 3 Application Software Productivity Tools for Educators

Learning Objectives Explain the role of an operating system and list the main operating systems used on today’s computers Define and describe a user interface and a graphical user interface Identify the important features of widely used software applications Describe the advantages of software suites

Learning Objectives Explain how to create documents Discuss why the use of note taking software is important for K-12 schools List and describe learning aids and support tools that help you use and learn software applications Explain how to work with different versions of software applications

System Software Made up of two parts Operating System Utility Programs Utility programs – programs used to maintain the health of the operating system

Operating Systems Provide the control over the The hardware of the computer The interaction of applications and the hardware Creates and maintains the user interface

Current Microsoft OS’s Windows XP Home Edition Media Center Tablet PC Professional Windows Vista Home Basic Home Premium Business Ultimate

Current OS’s Mac OS Other Operating Systems Mac OS, version 9.1 Mac OS X Other Operating Systems UNIX Linux

Graphic User Interface

Command Line Interface

Application Software Programs designed to perform specific tasks for users As a productivity / business tool Supporting school and professional activities Assisting with graphics and multimedia projects Helping with home and personal activities Facilitating communications

Application Software Five major categories of application

Working With Application Software Document - Piece of work created with an application program and saved on disk with a unique file name Creating Editing Formatting

Formatting

Working With Application Software Document - Piece of work created with an application program and saved on disk with a unique file name Creating Editing Formatting Saving

Application Software The first time you save a file from an application you will see the Save As dialog box

Working With Application Software Document - Piece of work created with an application program and saved on disk with a unique file name Creating Editing Formatting Saving Printing Dialog Box

Dialog Box A box in which you will be asked question to complete a task

Working With Application Software Document - Piece of work created with an application program and saved on disk with a unique file name Creating Editing Formatting Saving Printing Dialog Box Voice recognition

Voice Recognition Programs that convert the spoken word into text on an application. Dragon voice recognition software found at http://www.nuance.com/naturallyspeaking/

Working With Application Software Document - Piece of work created with an application program and saved on disk with a unique file name Creating Editing Formatting Saving Printing Dialog Box Voice recognition Note Taking Software

Note Taking Software Programs that can save notes or convert notes into text on an application.

Word Processing Software Used to create, edit, and format textual documents

Word Processing Software Formatting features Font and font size Color Borders Clip art Margins Wordwrap Scrolling

Word Processing Software Editing features Find or search Replace Spell checker

Spreadsheet Software Allows you to organize numeric data in rows and columns, collectively called a worksheet or spreadsheet

Spreadsheet Software Spreadsheet organization Worksheet has up to 256 columns and 65,536 rows Cell - Intersection of a row and a column Labels Values Formulas Calculations Formula - Performs calculations on data in the worksheet and displays the results in a cell Function – A predefined formula that performs commonplace calculations

Spreadsheet Software Charts - Graphically illustrates the relationship of numeric data

Database Software Database - A collection of data organized in a manner that allows access, retrieval, and use of that data Developing a database – only do if you can not find a suitable product

Presentation Graphics Software Allows you to create documents called presentations which are used to communicate ideas, messages, and other information to a group Teachers and students use presentation graphics software to create electronic slides. The slides can be displayed on a computer projected on a screen printed and handed out made into transparencies.

Presentation Graphics Software Predefined formats - define colors and other elements for backgrounds, text, and other items on the slides Various slide layouts Clip art / image gallery Slide sorter

Presentation Graphics Software Integrating electronic presentations into the classroom Nonlinear teaching and learning Students and teachers create presentations Can link presentations to the Web

Personal Information Managers (PIM) Software application that includes an appointment calendar, address book, notepad, and other features to help organize appointments, task lists, and more

Desktop Publishing (DTP) Software Allows you to design, produce, and deliver sophisticated documents that contain text, graphics, and brilliant colors Page layout - arranging text and graphics in a document

Desktop Publishing (DTP) Software

Paint/Image-Editing Software Allows you to draw pictures, shapes, and other graphical images using various tools on the screen Paint software - Draw pictures, shapes, and other graphics Image-editing software - Modify existing graphics Photo editing software - Edit digital photographs

Paint/Image-Editing Software

Video and Audio Editing Software Modify a segment of a video, known as a clip Add special effects Sounds Banners Credits

Video and Audio Editing Software

Clip Art/Image Gallery Collection of clip art and photographs Miscellaneous items Fonts Animations Sounds Video and audio clips

Multimedia Authoring Software Used to create electronic interactive presentations that include text, video, audio, and animation Often used in education Delivered via CD-ROM or DVD-ROM

Web Site Authoring Software Allows you to create Web pages and organize, manage, and maintain Web sites Many packages allow creation of Web pages Word processing programs allow creation of web pages

Software for School Use Grade Book Allows teachers to track and organize student tests, homework, lab work, and other scores Often integrates with other software packages

Software for School Use Educational software - Software designed for the learning environment Reference software - Provides valuable and thorough information for everyone in an educational setting and in the family

Software for School Use Special Needs Software Software designed for students with physical impairments or learning disabilities Examples Speech synthesis software Software with text enlargement features Talking software

Software Suite and Integrated Software Educational software - Software designed Collection of individual application software packages sold as a single package Lower cost Ease of use Common interface Integrated software packages

Software Suite and Integrated Software

Learning Aids and Support Tools Help Tutorials FAQs