New Perspectives on Computer Concepts 2011 Instructor’s Manual 1 of 20
Computer Concepts
Chapter Three: Computer Software
A Guide to this Instructor’s Manual:
We have designed this Instructor’s Manual to supplement and enhance your teaching experience through classroom activities and a cohesive chapter summary.
This document is organized chronologically, using the same heading in blue that you see in the textbook. Under each heading you will find (in order): Lecture Notes that summarize the section, Figures and Boxes found in the section (if any), Teacher Tips, Classroom Activities, and Lab Activities. Pay special attention to teaching tips, and activities geared towards quizzing your students, enhancing their critical thinking skills, and encouraging experimentation within the software.
In addition to this Instructor’s Manual, our Instructor’s Resources CD also contains PowerPoint Presentations, Test Banks, and other supplements to aid in your teaching experience.
For your students:
Our latest online feature, CourseCasts, is a library of weekly podcasts designed to keep your students up to date with the latest in technology news. Direct your students to http://coursecasts.course.com, where they can download the most recent CourseCast onto their mp3 player. Ken Baldauf, host of CourseCasts, is a faculty member of the Florida State University Computer Science Department, where he is responsible for teaching technology classes to thousands of FSU students each year. Ken is an expert in the latest technology and sorts through and aggregates the most pertinent news and information for CourseCasts so your students can spend their time enjoying technology, rather than trying to figure it out. Open or close your lecture with a discussion based on the latest CourseCast.
Table of Contents
Chapter Objectives / 2Section A: Software Basics / 3
Section B: Popular Applications / 5
Section C: Buying Software / 11
Section D: Installing Software and Upgrades / 13
Section E: Security Software / 16
Glossary of Key Terms / 19
Chapter Objectives
Students will have mastered the material in Chapter Three when they can answer the following questions:
New Perspectives on Computer Concepts 2011 Instructor’s Manual 1 of 20
· What are the most popular types of application software?
· What kinds of system software are typically installed on personal computers?
· What are the main differences between word processing, desktop publishing, and Web authoring software?
· How does spreadsheet software work?
· In addition to spreadsheets, what other types of “number crunching” software are available?
· Why are there different types of graphics software?
· What do software shoppers need to know?
· What is a EULA?
· How does local software differ from portable software and Web apps?
· Is installing downloaded software different from installing software from a distribution CD?
· What are the differences between proprietary software, commercial software, shareware, open source software, freeware, and public domain software?
· What are software patches and service packs?
· What’s malware?
· How does antivirus software work?
New Perspectives on Computer Concepts 2011 Instructor’s Manual 1 of 20
New Perspectives on Computer Concepts 2011 Instructor’s Manual 1 of 20
READING ASSIGNMENT FASTPOLL T/F QUESTIONS:
030100 Word processing software and operating systems are examples of application software. (Answer: False) (121)
030200 Spreadsheets are classified as utility software. (Answer: False) (122)
030300 The software you install to help a printer communicate with a computer is called a device driver. (Answer: True) (124)
030400 Desktop publishing software is based on frames. (Answer: True) (129)
030500 Spreadsheet software is particularly useful for what-if analyses. (Answer: True) (130)
030600 Database software stores information in HTML codes. (Answer: False) (134)
030700 CAD software is a good choice for professional-quality photo editing. (Answer: False) (138)
030800 Payroll software is a good example of vertical market business software. (Answer: False) (142)
030900 If the main screen of a software product does not contain a copyright notice, it is legal to make copies and share them with your friends. (Answer: False) (147)
031000 A EULA is a license agreement that specifies how to legally use a software product. (Answer: True) (148)
031100 Open source software is public domain. (Answer: False) (150)
031200 The Windows Registry is a database that keeps track of a computer’s peripheral devices, software, preferences, and settings. (Answer: True) (154)
031300 Downloaded software is usually zipped to decrease download time. (Answer: True) (156)
031400 Hash codes are used to generate a unique number as part of the software activation process. (Answer: True) (157)
031500 Web apps typically are installed on your computer’s local hard disk. (Answer: False) (158)
031600 A software worm can replicate itself. (Answer: True) (163)
031700 To keep your antivirus software up to date, it is important to get updates of the rootkit. (Answer: False) (168)
031800 Botnets offer effective security protection from spyware. (Answer: False) (164)
SECTION A: SOFTWARE BASICS
SECTION A OPENER QUESTION:
032100 Software publishers offer a huge variety of products for personal computer owners. From which of the following categories does the typical computer owner purchase add-on software?
a. System software and operating systems
b. Application software and utilities
c. Device drivers and application software
d. System software and antivirus software
(Answer: b)
Software Categories (120)
LECTURE NOTES
· Note that the term software was once used to describe all non-hardware components of a computer. However today there is a differentiation between software, program instructions, and data files.
· Point out that software can be categorized into system software and application software.
· Mention that system software is computer-centric and application software is user-centric.
FIGURES
· Figure 3-1
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
· Quick Quiz:
1. Software can be categorized as either ______or application (Answer: systems)
2. True/False: Systems software is computer-centric. (Answer: True)
· Class Discussion: Have students examine their computer and identify as many software packages, utilities and widgets as possible and classify each as systems or applications.
Application Software (121)
LECTURE NOTES
· Examine the software packages loaded on the student’s home computer or the lab computer and discuss the types of tasks you can perform with them.
· Ask students to identify packages they have used and to identify the purposes for which they were used.
· If your school offers discounted software, show the student the site if on-line and discuss the costs and the functions of the packages.
· Describe productivity software and groupware.
TEACHER TIP
You may wish to discuss with students the idea that many traditional commercial applications such as word processing and spreadsheets applications are available through open source avenues such as Google free of charge. Discuss the security risks associated with storing sensitive data on sites such as these.
FIGURES
· Figure 3-2
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
· Quick Quiz:
1. ______software is any type of application software that has the potential to help people do their work more efficiently. (Answer: Productivity)
2. ______is designed to help several people collaborate on a single project using local network or Internet connections. (Answer: Groupware)
3. True/False: Running application software is dependent on the operating system. (Answer: True)
· Class Discussion: Ask students if they think groupware would be useful in a class such as this and how it could or should be used.
Utility Software (122)
LECTURE NOTES
· Mention that utility software is designed to help you monitor and configure settings. Ask the students if they have ever used utility software. If they say no, ask about Adobe Reader.
· Show students widgets like those in Figure 3-5. Ask the students to describe how they are used and how frequently.
TEACHER TIP
Demonstrate how to use Adobe Reader and discuss the fact that you do not have to have the software that created a document to view the document if saved in Adobe.
FIGURES
· Figure 3-3, Figure 3-4, Figure 3-5
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
· Assign a Project: Have students look on classroom or home computers for utility software. Have them make a list of all the utility software they find.
· Quick Quiz:
1. A(n) ______is a specialized utility program that appears on a computer’s screen-based desktop, looks like a control, and might display a snippet of information. (Answer: desktop widget)
2. ______is designed to help you monitor and configure settings for your computer system equipment, the operating system, or application software. (Answer: Utility software)
Device Drivers (124)
LECTURE NOTES
· Lead a brief discussion of device drivers to reinforce the concept presented in Chapter 2 that when you install a peripheral device you must often also install software to make it work.
· If you want to give your students a concrete example, use the following: Suppose your computer uses an ink jet printer, but you decide to purchase a new laser printer and use it instead. After you connect the printer, you need to make sure the computer sends the appropriate electronic signals, so you must install software to do this. This software—called a printer driver—is usually supplied with the printer. Some operating systems, such as Windows, contain pre-installed drivers for many popular printers. If the operating system contains the driver for your printer, you just need to select the appropriate printer. If you cannot find the driver, it is often available on the Internet. Go to the Internet and find a printer device driver.
TEACHER TIP
If you are teaching in a lab situation or have the students in lab class, you might discuss that it is not sufficient to have the correct driver. If the printer is networked, you will also need the address of the printer.
FIGURES
· Figure 3-6
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
· Assign a Project: Have students browse and search the Internet for device drivers. If they have a printer at home, have them find the appropriate driver. If not, have them find the lab printer driver.
· Quick Quiz:
1. A(n) ______is software that helps a peripheral device establish communication with a computer. (Answer: device driver)
2. True/False: Once installed, a device driver automatically starts when it is needed. (Answer: True)
SECTION B: POPULAR APPLICATIONS
SECTION B OPENER QUESTION:
032200 Just about everyone has used iTunes software to download music. iTunes software also allows you to list the songs you’ve downloaded, delete songs, find songs, and organize your music into play lists. These features of iTunes are similar to what type of software?
a. Word processing software
b. Spreadsheet software
c. Database software
d. Groupware
(Answer: c)
Document Production Software (125)
LECTURE NOTES
· Explain that document production software includes a wide variety of packages, from simple word-processing software to more complicated packages that enable creation of desktop published newsletters as well as home pages for Web sites.
· Ask students to identify the kind of software they’ve used, if any and discuss for what they used it.
· Show a document that has been created in word processing software and enhanced in desktop publishing software. You might also show the same information as a Web page after using Web authoring software.
· Demonstrate how the same data can be transferred from one package to another.
· Have students try different fonts and formatting options. Have each student format the same sentence and have the class determine which is the most readable.
· Point out that while the grammar check feature included in many word processing software packages is helpful, it is not always correct. Show an example of this.
· Type a line with a misspelling which the spell checker will catch. Type another line with a misspelling the spell checker will not catch, such as tow and two.
· You may want to suggest to your students that they walk away from their work before a final proofreading, or ask someone else to proofread their documents.
FIGURES
· Figure 3-7, Figure 3-8, Figure 3-9, Figure 3-10, Figure 3-11
TEACHER TIP
Have students use two different word processing software. Ask students to compare their experiences in using the two programs.
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
· Assign a Project: Have students create a simple document using word processing software and explore the spelling checker, grammar checker, and thesaurus.
· Quick Quiz:
1. ______software has replaced typewriters for producing many types of documents. (Answer: Word processing)
2. True/False: Desktop publishing software helps you design Web pages. (Answer: False)
3. The ______for a document refers to the way that all the elements of the document are arranged on the page. (Answer: format)
Spreadsheet Software (130)
LECTURE NOTES
· The best way for students to understand the purpose and features of spreadsheet software is to let them work directly with popular spreadsheet applications such as Microsoft Excel. If it is not possible for students to work with spreadsheet software in class, use the figures in this section to explain how spreadsheet software works.
· Emphasize to your students that a well-organized worksheet should be easily understood by anyone using it.
· Have your students use discrete categories that are clearly labeled when creating a worksheet.
· Make sure your students enter a simple formula.
· One of the most confusing aspects of spreadsheet operations is the use of relative and absolute cell references. Be sure to cover relative and absolute cell references thoroughly, until students understand the differences between them.
TEACHER TIP
To clarify the idea of absolute and relative cell references, create a field such as interest rate and have the student apply it to a list of balances. If you put the interest rate in one column with nothing following and have them copy the formula, they will quickly see why absolute cell references are needed
FIGURES
· Figure 3-12, Figure 3-13, Figure 3-14, Figure 3-15
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
· Quick Quiz:
1. The intersection of a row and column on a spreadsheet is a(n) ______. (Answer: cell)
2. True/False: Microsoft Word is an example of spreadsheet software. (Answer: False)
3. A(n) ______reference never changes when you insert rows or copy or move formulas. (Answer: absolute)
“Number Crunching” Software (133)