Microcomputers in schools contribute significantly to the learning process, and software selection is taken as seriously as the selection of text books. The seven step process for responsible software selection are: (1) analyzing needs, including the differentiation between needs and objectives; (2) specification of requirements; (3) identifying…

Announces the winners of an annual software contest for innovative software in physics education. Winning entries include an application to help students visualize the origin of energy bands in a solid, a package on the radioastronomy of pulsars, and a school-level science simulation program. Also includes student winners, honorable mentions,…

The number of educational software packages on today's market is growing steadily. A large percentage of them are found to be of poor quality in terms of instructional and/or technical design. Arguing that a microcomputer in the classroom is only as effective as the software used with it, the first part of this digest provides an overview of the…

The process of selecting software for use with exceptional students focuses on two major issues: (1) how computers are to be used in the instructional process, and (2) whether the product selected is consistent with curricular goals. The content of instruction is shaped by its purpose: drill and practice; teaching new skills, concepts, and…

Provides an annotated bibliography of six items from the ERIC database concerning the teaching of economics. Includes items about microeconomics, macroeconomics, and computer-assisted economics instruction. Explains how to obtain ERIC documents. (SG)

Addressing many aspects of the use of computers in elementary reading instruction, this annotated bibliography in six sections contains 27 items from the ERIC database from 1987 to April 1989. The first section contains items discussing the pros and cons of such use; the second section deals with organizational aspects of computer use in the…

Targeted at special education administrators who are involved in making decisions regarding the use of microcomputers in instructional programs for handicapped students, this document offers guidelines which synthesize relevant data on computer technology in special education and provide a framework for implementing classroom use of the…

Presents 10 documents from the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) featuring use of computers in the social studies classroom. Describes using computers in an elementary classroom history project, as teaching aids for the learning disabled, and for teaching basic skills to adults. Identifies documents that survey computer use in social…