As useful as LISREL may be in model estimation and testing, its most significant contribution to date is the encouragement and example it gives for right thinking about research and right planning of research. The encouragement to hypothesize the best possible model for the process that is the object of study, and to plan measurements that…

This review of videodisc technology and its potential for use in conjunction with microcomputers in the development of interactive instructional systems includes: a brief discussion of the background and current state-of-the-art of videodisc technology; a review of videodisc formats and the costs and advantages of particular formats in the…

The original PLATO music concept was to replace the human performer in the feedback process, wherein the composer specifies an action and monitors the outcome, with a computer-controlled device. The first device of this type is known as the Gooch Synthetic Woodwind (GSW), which attempted to provide some of the features needed in an interactive,…

An important advance in computer assisted instruction (CAI) is the development of authoring systems that allow teachers to write software without the need for direct use of a higher level language. The primary advantage of authoring systems is that they provide teachers with the means to write CAI in plain English rather than using a computer…

A brief discussion of the need to define social studies is followed by methods for developing selection criteria for microcomputer programs in the social studies, a model for lesson development on a microcomputer, and evaluation criteria. The need for educators to carefully state what should be learned is emphasized in terms of controlling the…

This paper predicts that microelectronic circuitry will have an impact on education comparable to that of the industrial revolution or the invention of the printing press. Present conditions influencing educational technology and trends are considered in light of five considerations: (1) recent redefinitions of what educational technology is; (2)…

The scenario of instructional development presented makes a case for relying on recent refinements of the computer as a tool for giving form to human knowledge. The computer is described as having a high capability to form ideas into a variety of shapes, and vary those shapes to appeal to people's sense of abstraction. The history of the…