Computer Fundamental

1. Software for Home, Personal,
and Educational Use
Lesson 17
By; Manolo L. Giron
ZAMBALES NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

2. LEARNING OUTCOMES
• At the end of this topic, students should be able to:
1. Identify the key features of widely used home, personal, and educational
programs: personal finance, legal, tax preparation, personal desktop publishing,
personal paint/image editing, personal photo editing and photo management, clip
art/image gallery, personal video and audio editing, travel and mapping, reference
and educational, and entertainment
2. Discuss Web applications
3. Identify the types of application software used in communications
4. Describe the learning aids available for application software
Manolo L. Giron RMTU

3. Software for Home, Personal, and Educational Use
• personal finance,
• legal,
• tax preparation,
• personal desktop publishing,
• personal paint/image editing,
• personal photo editing and photo
management,
• clip art/image gallery,
• personal video and audio editing,
• travel and mapping,
• reference and educational,
• entertainment

4. Personal Finance Software
• Personal finance software is a simplified accounting program that helps
home users and small office/home office users balance their check books,
pay bills, track personal income and expenses, track investments, and evaluate
financial plans.
• Most personal finance software includes financial planning features, such as
analyzing home and personal loans, preparing income taxes, and managing
retirement savings.

5. Legal Software
• Legal software assists in the preparation of legal documents and provides
legal information to individuals, families, and small businesses.
• Legal software provides standard contracts and documents associated with
buying, selling, and renting property; estate planning; marriage and divorce;
and preparing a will or living trust.
• By answering a series of questions or completing a form, the legal software
tailors the legal document to specific needs.

6. Tax Preparation Software
• Tax preparation software, which is available both as packaged software and Web
applications, can guide individuals, families, or small businesses through the process of filing
federal taxes.
• These programs forecast tax liability and offer money-saving tax tips, designed to lower your
tax bill.
• After you answer a series of questions and complete basic forms, the software creates and
analyzes your tax forms to search for missed potential errors and deduction opportunities.
• Once the forms are complete, you can print any necessary paperwork, and then they are
ready for filing.
• Some tax preparation programs also allow you to file your tax forms electronically.

7. Desktop Publishing Software
(for Personal Use)
• Personal DTP software helps home and small business users create
newsletters, brochures, flyers, advertisements, postcards, greeting cards,
letterhead, business cards, banners, calendars, logos, and Web pages.

8. Paint/Image Editing Software
(for Personal Use)
• Personal paint/image editing software provides an easy-to-use interface;
includes various simplified tools that allow you to draw pictures, shapes, and
other images; and provides the capability of modifying existing graphics and
photos.

9. Clip Art/Image Gallery
• Application software often includes a clip art/image gallery, which is a
collection of clip art and photos.
• In addition to clip art, many clip art/image galleries provide fonts,
animations, sounds, video clips, and audio clips.

10. Video and Audio Editing Software
(for Personal Use)
• Many home users work with easy-to-use video and audio editing software,
which is much simpler to use than its professional counterpart, for small-
scale movie making projects.
• With these programs, home users can edit home movies, add music or other
sounds to the video, and share their movies on the Web.

11. Home Design/Landscaping Software
• Homeowners or potential homeowners can use home design/landscaping
software to assist them with the design, remodelling, or improvement of a
home, deck, or landscape.
• This software includes hundreds of pre-drawn plans that you can customize
to meet your needs.
• These programs show changes to home designs and landscapes, allowing
homeowners to preview proposed modifications.

12. Travel and Mapping Software
• Travel and mapping software enables users to view maps, determine route
directions, and locate points of interest.
• Using travel and mapping software, which is available both as packaged
software and as Web applications, you can display maps by searching for an
address, postal code, telephone number, or point of interest (such as
airports, lodging, and historical sites).
• Most programs also allow you to download construction reports and
calculate mileage, time, and expenses.

13. Reference and Educational Software
• Reference software provides valuable and thorough information for all individuals.
• Popular reference software includes encyclopedias, dictionaries, and health/medical guides.
• Educational software teaches a particular skill.
• Educational software exists for just about any subject, from learning how to type to learning
how to cook to preparing for college entrance exams.
• Educational software often includes games and other content to make the learning
experience more fun.
• Many educational programs use a computer-based training approach.
• Computer-based training(CBT) is a type of education in which students learn by using and
completing exercises with instructional software.

14. Entertainment Software
• Entertainment software for personal computers includes interactive games,
videos, and other programs designed to support a hobby or provide
amusement and enjoyment.
• For example, you might use entertainment software to play games
individually or with others online, make a family tree, or fly an aircraft.
• Many games are available as Web applications, allowing you to play
individually or with other online players.

16. Web Applications
• Web application, or Web app, is a Web site that allows users to access and interact
with software from any computer or device that is connected to the Internet.
• Users often interact with Web applications directly at the Web site, referred to as the
host, through their Web browser.
• Some Web sites, however, require you download the software to your local
computer or device.
• Web application hosts often store users’ data and information on their servers.
Some Web applications provide users with an option of storing data locally on their
own personal computer or mobile device.
• Many of the previously discussed types of application software are available as Web
applications.

18. Application Software for Communications
• One of the main reasons people use computers is to communicate and share
information with others.
• Some communications software is considered system software because it
works with hardware and transmission media.
• Other communications software performs specific tasks for users, and thus,
is considered application software.

20. Learning Tools for Application Software
• Learning how to use application software effectively involves time and practice.
• To assist in the learning process, many programs provide online Help and Web-
based Help.
• Online Help is the electronic equivalent of a user manual.
• When working with a program, you can use online Help to ask a question or access
the Help topics in subject or alphabetical order.
• Most online Help also links to Web sites that offer Web-based help, which provides
updates and more comprehensive resources to respond to technical issues about
software.

21. References
• Discovering Computers FUNDAMENTALS Your Interactive Guide to the
Digital World, Shelly Cashman Series by Gary B. Shelly and Misty E. Vermaat
Contributing Authors
• Jeffrey J. Quasney
• Susan L. Sebok
• Steven M. Freund
Manolo L. Giron RMTU