Yes, a learning object is educational content, not a general piece of software. It can however be interactive (a demonstration of a science experiment created in Flash for example would qualify), but it also means pieces of text or multimedia that have an educational focus. The main idea of a learning object is that it is self-contained and potentially reusable, so it could be created by one person and then taken and used by someone else to learn or teach in a different situation. There are however limits to how easy this is to achieve in practice.

You have some literature that supports what you say and I can provide

Educational software are enablers in the learning process. Learning objects are teaching aids or learning aids which facilitate understanding and acquisition of knowledge on a specific subject or area.

An educational software is a program that lets you create an product . A learning object is product of a program that  with a specific aim.

There is quite a lot of debate about what constitutes a learning object, but I prefer to go with the following general definition: a learning object could be something as small as a definition or graphic but could also include an instructional animation or complete e-learning course.  What matters most is that it is standalone and can teach learners.  Educational software and e-learning courses comprise many learning objects.

The definition by Michel Velázquez-Mariño is precise. Learning object is the smallest formative content , has pedagogical objectives, practical items and also evaluation based on its pedagogical objectives. 

Nice Contribution Darina M. Slattery