"Power Tools--Design and Application" (Furtaw) looks at differences between professional and ordinary consumer tools. "Low Budget Laser Printing Solutions" (Dose) gives graphic arts instructors tips on purchasing equipment for high quality output. (SK)

Describes several exemplars of software that emulate and incorporate machine-supported aspects of cognitive apprenticeships in science and mathematics. Concludes with an evaluation of software against cognitively guided principles and with a summary of the difficulties associated with creating and implementing machine-supported apprenticeships.…

Describes a variety of computer software programs and student activities utilizing the computer to help teach secondary social studies. Suggests using word processors, painting programs, and computer simulations for history and government courses. Concludes that successful use of computers in social studies instruction depends on the design of…

A project developed computer software based upon Interstate Distributive Education Curriculum Consortium (IDECC) competency-based materials to produce a new curriculum management system for Pennsylvania secondary marketing education programs. During the project, an advisory committee composed of secondary marketing teachers, business people, and…

Describes and evaluates Metacognition in Studying from Texts (MIST), a system that helps students develop metacognitive skills by providing a process-based interface and support for collaboration and reflection. A study of 20 ninth graders determined that high ability students used the interface and intervention productively, but that low ability…

Describes software that was designed in the United Kingdom to promote conceptual change in secondary school students studying mechanics. Direct Manipulation of Mechanical Microworlds, an interactive computer simulation, and VARILAB, a computer-based language for modelling systems, are explained; and two studies that will evaluate the effectiveness…

Geometer's Sketchpad is an interactive geometry software package used to help students learn geometry principles. Use of Sketchpad in a secondary education math course at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Oswego has allowed geometry to be taught in a dynamic manner. The paper provides three examples of how Sketchpad is used. Traditional…

The "Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics (1989)" calls for the revision of existing secondary mathematics curricula which include an emphasis on contextual problems, multiple representations, and the use of computers. The focus of this revision significantly involves the acknowledgment of the key role of the…

Provides a thorough and useful evaluation of two interactive multimedia US history programs. "Vital Issues: Reshaping and Industrializing the Nation" covers US history from European contact to the present. "Powers of Persuasion" focuses on the art of propaganda in World War II. Includes extensive information on both products.…

Describes a computer-based education program that was developed at the University of Central Florida to train students and teachers in grades seven and above in how to use CD-ROMs. The development of different versions of the training program for different microcomputers is described, and an evaluation of the program is discussed. (Eight…

Introduces "SimCity 2000," a computer simulation, as a tool for teaching urban geography. Argues that, combined with other activities, it can enhance computer literacy, geographical knowledge, and critical skills. Notes gender differences in students' previous exposure to the software; argues that instructors must consider this when…

This paper describes research into the use of cognitive tools in the classroom using "Exploring the Nardoo", an information landscape designed to support student investigation. Simulations and support tools which allow multimedia reporting are embedded in the package and are supported by several metacognitive tools for the writing…