Describes three criteria for evaluating educational software; classification of software types, the presence or absence of process skills, and educational practices. This article provides background for a software evaluation form to appear in a subsequent issue. (CW)

The purpose of this project is to ensure that children enrolled in private, nonprofit schools within the geographic boundaries of the District of Columbia have equitable participation in Education Consolidation and Improvement Act (ECIA) activities as compared to those enrolled in public schools. Practices have been established to fulfill the…

Although the Congress of the United States has enacted legislation calling for a conversion to the metric system by October 1992, recent government reports suggest that the country may not be prepared to meet that deadline. In an effort to develop a learning module for instructing community college students in the application of the metric system,…

Laser videodiscs should be a boon for teachers, administrators, and librarians. More extensive use of videodiscs is described and encouraged. An imaginary videodisc teaching unit is detailed and examples of current videodiscs, such as History Disquiz, are given. (JL)

This digest is intended to help teachers select good resources to use in their instruction by providing a checklist to evaluate online educational materials. The following major topic areas to consider when evaluating World Wide Web-based materials for use in instructional settings, as well as sub-questions in each area, are outlined: (1) Judge…

Describes the development, use, and marketing of a computer software program that allows students to review and analyze all U.S. presidential elections from 1798 to 1992. Asserts that the program can be used by K-12 teachers, university professors, secondary and college-level students, and others interested in the history of presidential…

This guide is written for the K-12 teacher or librarian who cannot afford the time or expenses to attend workshops or does not have the patience to read through densely worded treatises about the Internet. Organized into three modules, "Learning the Internet,""Teaching the Internet," and "Acquiring the Internet," this book makes a complex subject…

The article discusses concerns of producers and users of computer software for those with special needs, reviews current research findings and projects, and reports on a survey of special educators (N=22) that identifies characteristics of desirable software. (Author/DB)

Describes a SYSTAT macro that generates sufficient information from the data available to compute an analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post hoc analysis. Suggests the macro procedure as a tool for those who want to explore relations among the results of published studies when raw data are not available. Recommends classroom uses. (DK)

This how-to manual is intended to ease the transition to the information technology age even for those teachers who have no previous knowledge or experience with computers. Written in a concise, numbered paragraph format, the text uses simple nontechnical language. The first chapter titled, "Getting Started with Computers," covers choosing and…

The paper demonstrates how school districts can have a low cost software library for instruction by utilizing public domain software. Such software can be used to augment the curriculum and to meet the individual needs of special education students. Specific examples of how one school district has used public domain software in computer-assisted…

In this presentation we will investigate the mathematics and physics of a free-falling object, not for the purpose of research to discover some profound physical phenomena, but rather to enhance students' ability to gather, organize, and analyze data using state of the art hand held technology. We will use the TI-83 plus (a sophisticated graphing…

This paper describes a cyclical staff development program designed to help teachers, specifically social studies teachers, gain expertise with technology and learn how it can be infused into their classrooms. The cyclical staff development program has three complementary components: (1) skill development; (2)focus on instruction; and (3) material…

This article describes desktop publishing and discusses the features and classroom uses of one of the newest desktop publishing programs. Several desktop publishing projects for teachers and students are suggested. (IAH)

One of nine brief guides for special educators on using computer technology, this guide focuses on computer use with learning disabled students for such purposes as direct instruction and development of communication skills. It is noted that the learning disabled student may possess certain characteristics which require the kind of modification of…