Software

The top five most important software programs students should learn before leaving college or "the real world" are:
1)Word processor- Almost any assignment can be created using a word processor and knowing more details of the software than siimply typing in 12 font Times New Roman will be valuable to anyone
2)Excel- The ability of excel and similar programs to sort and store data can make pretty much anyone's life easier, this was close with PowerPoint, but as our lab demonstrated Excel fits nicely in PP and takes the lead
3)PowerPoint- There is no simpler way to balance the ability to decently present information, while saving time compared to video editing etc. PowerPoint has the ability to be used for training in alsmost any field and is a good tool for anyone to learn if they hope to someday be in a leadership role.
4)Tutorials-I wouldn't have made it through Organic Chemistry without some of the online Tutorials. Some of the details in using Tutorials were new to me since I had never used this type of program before. I have found Tutorials to be one of the best tools to use to get conceptual ideas down since you can repeat the Tutorial until you have mastered the material.
5)Multimedia editing- I wish I had been taught more about editing my pictures, sound clips, and video media before entering college. I could have really improved some of my presentations, and had a lot of fun working on personal projects. I'd say this type of software is the least important of the five just because it used to enhance some of the other programs, and not essential in many job or classroom settings.

I think that the basics of Word Processors should be started right when students start using computers, I'd guess around third or forth grade. As students move up through the grades and writing improves, the more intricate features of Word should be introduced. Excel and PowerPoint should be initially introduced in Middle School when students start doing projects involving a lot of data or presentations and potentially both. Tutorials and Multimedia editing softwares really could wait until later in High School just before students head off to college or the workforce. This way they can get a sample of this type of program and choose for themselves how involved they want to get with the software.