When does software become useless?

I had a couple of interesting conversations yesterday with secondary school Computer Contacts. 

On one hand, there was a concern that we need to purchase licenses of Microsoft Office 2007 as it is the current state of the art product being shipped by the software giant.  Many students have this software at home – it’s a great marketing plan by shipping it pre-loaded with new computers.  It’s considerably easier to pay for the registration rather than to remove and reload something else.  We are also starting to see files being delivered in the new .—x format.  Previous versions of the software will not open the latest version although there are some converters available.  The plot thickens when you have students who have co-op placements with businesses that use the latest pieces of software.  It’s tough enough for a teenager to walk into a business and fit in without having to learn a brand new piece of software as well.

Then, I have a conversation with another.  One of the challenges that you face when you go to a meeting or workshop mid-day is leaving a lesson for the supply teacher that is meaningful for students and manageable for someone who may or may not be comfortable in your subject discipline.  In this case, it was an electronics course.  In this case, the school had purchased (and never thrown away) copies of Rocky’s Boots.  Rocky’s Boots was originally shipped as a “game” in electronics but those of us who teach/taught computer science or electronics recognize the educational value as you use the program to solve problems using logic gates and other tools.

There is a 30 year spread between these two programs! 

In both cases, we have examples of educational software that, when used properly, provides an excellent educational opportunity for students.  Both address curriculum expectations in the hands of great teacher practitioners.

I’ve had a couple of interesting queries lately.

“Does anyone still use Hyperstudio?”

“Do we still teach keyboarding?”

I’m sure that those of you who know me, know how I responded.  After all, I do a presentation called “The Answer to Every Question is Hyperstudio” and I am also obsessed with having students get the most from their computer experiences.  It’s just so painful to see hunter and peckers try to keyboard an essay.

These are tough educational questions that are asked.  Why does Ministry licensed WordPerfect, StarOffice or Appleworks lose its relevancy?  Why does a piece of software released in 1982 still have a use in the classroom? 

It begs two questions at least.  When does software become useless?  Does it become useless at the same time to everyone?