Computer-assisted assessment (CAA) is problematic when it comes to fostering creativity, because in educational thinking the essence of creativity is not finding the correct answer but generating novelty. The idea of "functional" creativity provides rubrics that can serve as the basis for forms of CAA leading to either formative or…

Dartmouth and MIT have developed educational behavior apps and wearable devices that collect contiguous streams of data from student users. Given the consent of the user, the app collects information about a student's physical activity, sleep patterns, and location to form conjectures about social and academic behavior. These apps have the…

Digital games for learning have quickly transitioned from a theoretical possibility, to a hyped technology, to an idea that almost seems quaint compared to advances in Biochips, Smart Robots, and self-driving cars. As a field, it is now better understand what games are good for, what they are not, and in what kinds of situations they can be…

This article provides an overview of several studies in which the authors draw on social media, storytelling, and mobile apps to help children playfully develop their own approaches to science. The authors detail their efforts to strike a balance between the structure needed to promote science learning and the flexibility needed to nurture…

A computer-assisted examination program, written in TUTOR for PLATO IV at the School of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Illinois College of Medicine, is discussed. The system is automated from the scheduling and delivery of basic medical examinations to the analysis of student performance data. (RAO)

Presents a survey of user needs for microcomputer software in elementary and secondary schools. Approaches to software development are highlighted and the future of microcomputers is discussed. (RAO)

Reviews the literature and examines the state of technology for computer based text analysis. The computer capabilities of several available text analysis programs are presented. (Author)

Reasons for the general lack of active planning for a programmatic approach to this new technology are presented, gaps in current microcomputer use are identified, and data collected from public school districts in Florida are analyzed. (Author/MER)

Argues that microcomputers are inexpensive, reliable, and sufficiently powerful to meet important educational demands, and that with authoring/driver systems educators could make far greater use of what is known about cognitive processes, especially structural learning. (MER)

Reports on uses of microcomputers at the University of Michigan including word processing, extending laboratory experience, simulation, games, tutorial uses, and building skills in computing. (RAO)

Acquaints the reader with the personal computer, emphasizing its use as an aid in the learning process; considers the types of hardware available and software related to educational uses; and offers advice to those just entering this area. (Author)

Offers an overview of issues pertaining to societal readiness to cope with the information explosion. The need for computer literacy, an examination of computers in education, and the role of the National Science Foundation in computer literacy programs are discussed. (MER)

Examines the application of microcomputer statistics in social studies, and computer access and simulations in middle school environments. An interdisciplinary framework of curricula among social studies, science, and mathematics teachers with equal access to microcomputers and software programs is encouraged. (MER)

Describes the use of a microcomputer system (ECHO) which permits greater access to student thought processes. Initial piloting indicates that self-reports can be unobtrusively solicited from students during ongoing instruction. Research background, data collection approaches, and a description of the ECHO system are given. (MER)

Discusses some prominent applications available today for most microcomputer systems, including: teaching computing to all students, the computer as a problem solving tool, games, drill and practice, simulation, and testing. (Author)