Describes the design and evaluation of a desktop virtual reality program that was developed to teach children about the accessibility and attitudinal barriers encountered by their peers with mobility impairments. Investigated attitudes, grade levels, familiarity with individuals with a disability, and gender. (Author/LRW)

Describes the design principles behind a set of research-based software microworlds included in the "Building Blocks" program, a pre-kindergarten to grade 2 software-based mathematics curriculum. Discusses how to help children extend and mathematize their everyday activities and presents the nine-step design process model used.…

Explains TIMA (Tools for Interactive Mathematical Activity), that were designed to provide elementary schools children with contexts in which they could enact mathematical operations. Discusses differences from drill and practice software; provides examples of how the TIMA were used by children to engage in cognitive play; and emphasizes the…

Examines instances of "high" literacy, literate thinking, among elementary school students working with common computer software during their normal school day. Seven forms of engagement emerged to categorize students' work, and these were arranged in order of complexity: disengagement, unsystematic engagement, frustrated engagement,…

Investigates how the design, creation, and revision of animated models that tell a science story can assist young bilingual children in science learning. Findings show that the animated software provided students with access to a world that is normally unavailable in real time; they were also able to manipulate science concepts and connect…

Discusses educational uses of microcomputers in context of development theories and models of education and describes the development of a computer-supported writing system for the development of academic skills--a children's newswire service--and its influence on the improvement of low-achieving students' reading and writing skills. (MBR)

Compares evaluative assumptions built into published sets of guidelines for microcomputer software evaluation with those derived from three small United Kingdom case studies of microcomputer usage in reading/language classes. The case studies provide data on teacher and student reaction to five computer programs used by 9- to 13-year-olds. (MBR)

Discussion of the effectiveness of computer-managed instruction (CMI) focuses on a study that examined the perceptions of administrators, teachers, and parents of the value and effectiveness of a commercial CMI program. The implementation of the program in support of the elementary reading curriculum in a metropolitan school system is described.…

Examines how software designed to complement resource-based approaches to reading and writing ("Kid's Space") fared in four elementary classrooms. Results of the pilot study indicate that given the right conditions, children write creatively in response to visual and auditory stimuli. Effective methods of integrating and valuing online work are…

Since past studies showing that competition has negative effects on group process were primarily conducted in traditional classrooms involving face-to-face situations, this study extends past research by investigating whether the negative effects associated with face-to-face team competition can be mitigated with the support of networking…