Animated pedagogical agents (APAs) have the potential to provide one-on-one, just-in-time instruction, guidance or mentoring in classrooms where such individualized human interactions may be infeasible. Much current APA research focuses on a wide range of design variables tested with small samples or in laboratory settings, while overlooking…

Generalization is the key to effective autism intervention--when children can apply new skills across settings, they'll make broad, long-term improvements in behavior and social communication. The first how-to guide to generalization is finally here! Practical and reader-friendly, this is the book that helps professionals take today's most popular…

Educators must think clearly about how they want students' education to improve, what computers can do to help, how that assistance can be accomplished, and whether any of this is affordable. (Author/JM)

Four issues of the "Macintosh Lab Monitor" document the Computer-Aided Writing Project at the Forman School (Connecticut) which is a college preparatory school for bright dyslexic adolescents. The project uses Macintosh computers to teach outlining, writing, organizational and thinking skills. Sample articles have the following titles:…

This report presents brief descriptions of exemplary programs validated by the National Diffusion Network (NDN) and approved for national dissemination by the Joint Dissemination Review Panel, which focus specifically on the effective use of technology in education. As exemplary projects called Developer Demonstrators, 12 of the programs described…

Although drill and practice software has lost favor with many educators, research shows that this type of computer-assisted instruction--as a supplement to classroom teaching--increases student achievement, reduces learning time, establishes positive feelings toward both computers and school work, and is effective with lower ability,…

Describes and evaluates the various strategies employed by the Microelectronics Education Programme to provide training in computer-based learning to teachers in the United Kingdom. Suggestions for future strategies that focus on the child, the teacher, and the class are presented. (14 references) (CLB)

Reviews research on effective teacher characteristics and generalizes them to effective microcomputer instruction. Characteristics discussed include allocating adequate time for academic tasks, curriculum pacing, providing supportive and efficient learning environments, use of group management procedures, teaching skills before drill and practice,…

This notebook is designed to help educators who are currently learning to design and present inservice programs, educators who are already inservice providers but who might benefit from an overview of inservice theory, and educators who are hiring, supervising, or evaluating inservice providers. It is divided into three parts: (1) Introduction and…

This book shows teachers how to effectively integrate the Internet into the classroom, and illustrates how teachers are developing classroom communities filled with the excitement of learning and discovery. Each chapter begins with a story of how a talented teacher uses the Internet in the classroom and then discusses the lessons that can be…

Despite severe budget limitations, the Bellflower Unified School District in southern California has instituted an outstanding computer education program. This transcript of a panel presentation by school board and staff representatives of the Bellflower Unified School District, describes the district's computer program, its history, its impact on…

Presents findings from the International Society for Technology in Education's "Vision: TEST" study, revealing that access to technology facilitates learning, especially among at-risk students. Compares "factory" and "individual" paradigms for education. Offers three examples of the use of technology with at-risk students. Discusses the economic…

As part of its ongoing effort to develop Army embedded training (ET) systems in which a tactical computer system is used to train personnel about its own utilization, a project was conducted to develop and evaluate courseware on how to program lessons for computer assisted instruction (CAI). Since PLANIT (Programing Language for Interactive…

Describes demonstration grant project undertaken by the Rapid City South Dakota school district to determine whether computer assisted instruction (CAI) would be beneficial to Native American children. Discussion covers operation and results of the program, which offered CAI instruction in reading and language arts to students in grades three to…

The use of student proctors or tutors for a Personalized System of Instruction (PSI) has been considered essential; however, the cost of tutorial training programs may be prohibitive. In an attempt to develop an equivalent but less expensive alternative, students (N=219) participated in an evaluation of the use of a VAX computer system as a…