YEAR 8 COMPUTING • COMPUTER SYSTEMS. LESSON 1 • ACTIVITY 2

Your software

Work through the three worksheet tasks: identify programs you use, list more familiar software, and decide whether different things on a computer really count as programs.

An illustration showing a document app, browser window, creative app, and settings panel connected together.

Worksheet tasks

Big idea

Programs do jobs. Data gets used by programs.

Task 1

What’s the program?

Give an example of a program you use for each purpose. You can name a specific program or the category it belongs to.

Three illustrated panels showing a word processor, a web browser, and a creative editing program.
Writing, browsing, and creating all need different kinds of programs.

Task 2

Your programs

Name at least three additional programs that you are familiar with. Do not repeat the ones from Task 1. You are only allowed to name one game.

A colorful grid of app-style icons representing music, chat, calculator, maps, drawing, and school software.
Apps count as programs too, not just software used on a desktop computer.

Tip

Apps are programs too. Messaging apps, music apps, drawing apps, school apps, and calculators all count.

Task 3

Are you sure it’s a program?

Sometimes it is not straightforward to tell. Ask yourself: does it perform a task, or does it process data?

A diagram comparing data files like photos, videos, and songs with software like an operating system that runs and manages a computer.
Data is used by programs. Operating systems manage the whole computer.

Are the videos, images, and sounds on your computer programs?

Explorer question: Are Android, Linux, macOS, iOS, or Windows programs?

Thinking support

Programs carry out instructions. Data gets stored, shown, played, or changed by programs.