On The Teaching of Software

For this week's assignment, we're to list the top 5 applications that we feel students should learn in school, when they should learn them, and why. Therefore, here is my list:

1) Word Processors - These are the bread and butter of any modern student's academic career. There really aren't any K-12 schools that don't require students to have typed papers anymore, and any college definitely requires them. All businesses, especially the ones moving to entirely paperless offices, use word processors in some fashion or another. Word processors are simply the requirement of modern success. Children should begin to use them in elementary school, after their handwriting and basic spelling/grammar lessons. We shouldn't just teach word processors exclusively; just supplement the current curriculum with them.

2) Slide Show applications - These are more like the salt and pepper of a student's career. Not absolutely necessary, but incredibly useful. Slide Show applications make multimedia presentations very, very easy. These also carry into the out-of-school world, as they are used my many businesses, speakers, and a wide variety of other career options. This can begin o be taught in the middle-school level, as research projects and presentations begin to be integrated into the curriculum.

3) Online Banking applications (and the safe use thereof) - Too many people are in debt or simply just broke due to bad financial planning. Young people are already hooked on the internet, so why not teach them a fundamental skill that uses the technology they already love?
I think this would generate more success simply on the basis of more financially stable graduates entering the workforce. This should begin to be taught at either the sophomore or the junior level in high school, when many students have jobs with enough income to warrant a bank account.

4) Spreadsheet applications - These are a useful tool for keeping track of a wide variety of things. Anything from personal property, to store inventory lists, to an address book. These can also be used to supplement the online banking applications, in the event that the bank website is down, or no internet connection is available. Students should learn these applications in high school, and also have an extra lesson on using them to supplement the banking.

5) Computer safety programs (Virus scans, spyware detectors, etc.) - This wouldn't be a lesson in any particular program, as there are too many virus/spyware removal programs to count. This should be more of a "how to" class than anything, ensuring students know how to handle problems with viruses, spyware, and other corruptions of a computer. Students can learn this anytime in high school.