Homeschool Facts

Educational software has a lot of applicable uses for students of every kind. In the early days it was reduced to a few applications like flight simulators or training exercises for the military. However, in today’s world, you can find it almost anywhere. Many schools have adopted it and parents use it on a daily basis to enhance their children’s learning experience. While it is commonplace today, it used to be a new technology. What is the history behind educational software and what can you do with it?

Educational software can trace its roots to the early 1940’s. By 1943 the United States had created the Type-19 synthetic radar flight simulator. This gave soldiers a chance to train in a virtual reality type situation. It was designed to gauge reaction times and decision-making skills in mock situations. This way the forces could be trained more efficiently without risk to life and limb not to mention highly expensive equipment. This was a great application during World War II.

Throughout the 70’s the software continued to be restricted to uses such as demonstrated above. The software itself was dependent on the machinery to run it and had not been developed beyond flight simulators. Even though some schools in the early days developed educational software the computer systems to run them were astronomically priced. A typical system that could run the software would set you back a good ten grand and most schools just did not have those kinds of resources at their disposal.

In 1975, the first personal computer was invented and in turn changed the course of educational software. The implications for this technology were huge. In the old days, in order to use any type of software you had to be linked into a university or company mainframe. They had the master computer on site and you could only use it if you were close enough to plug into it. With the invention of personal computers you could now go just about anywhere and learn. Software and hardware could be taken home and it was actually somewhat affordable. A personal computer cost less than $2000, which opened the door for many institutions that previously were unable to afford a computer. From there, educational software has evolved into a big business. Many companies now compete to be the educational choice of families. There are many learn-at-home technologies that make learning fun for little kids. They integrate these learning systems with popular cartoon characters and video games to make learning more enjoyable. With advancements in technology, the options for educational software are virtually limitless.

Educational software has become the education wave of the future for students of all shapes and sizes. You cannot find an aspect of learning that will not send you to a computer and software. All educational institutions are using it and it is assuredly one of the greatest inventions conceived. Software has and will continue to advance making it easier for you to learn. Educational software can even be customized to fit your learning style.

Bookmark Us