In this interview, biologist, artist, and shiatsu healer Artemis Papert describes how computational thinking can help people organize their thoughts in a more formal way. She discusses TurtleArt, a software that allows both children and adults to create two-dimensional static art images using geometry and coding as a medium. TurtleArt not only…

In this article, "School Library Journal's" ("SLJ") advisors talk about book apps for kids. They discuss what they like, what one should look for in discerning the best for kids and teens, and where this all might be headed.

This article distills a discussion about the goals, mechanisms, and effects of three environments which aim to support the acquisition and development of computing concepts (problem solving and programming) in pre-University and non-technical students: Alice, Greenfoot, and Scratch. The conversation started in a special session on the topic at the…

The article "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" in last Summer's "Atlantic Monthly," raised a number of provocative, and indeed worrisome, questions about computer usage and cognitive development. For instance, persons with considerable experience of reading for the sake of pleasure report that, after a couple of years using computers a great deal, they…

Examines the current status and short-term future of computer software development in higher education. Topics discussed include educational advantages of software; current program development techniques, including object oriented programming; and market trends, including IBM versus Macintosh and multimedia programs. (LRW)

We will argue that CALL can usefully be viewed as a subset of computer software engineering and can profit from adopting some of the recent progress in software development theory. The unified modelling language has become the industry standard modelling technique and the accompanying unified process is rapidly gaining acceptance. The manner in…

Visually impaired users are hampered by current PC software written for graphical user interfaces. Screen readers that vocalize displayed text require standardization that remains missing in the programming industry; the readers cannot interpret many cues in the Windows environment. More programming standards and adaptive technology for computers…

Describes the development of an interactive video simulation, the "Classroom Management Simulation," that teaches eight basic principles of classroom management to preservice teachers. Highlights include the instructional design process, including task analysis; the use of HyperCard for programming; and results of field testing. (LRW)