Utilizing national data about the presence and use of educational computers, the paper explains that computer-based applications still play only modest roles in education. Schools face insufficient quantities of any one technology to make efficient use in classroom-based teaching, and they invest little in supporting teachers' efforts to learn to…

Educators must think clearly about how they want students' education to improve, what computers can do to help, how that assistance can be accomplished, and whether any of this is affordable. (Author/JM)

Discusses the value of the microcomputer in education and questions whether or not the hardware now available is a cost-effective method for the type of learning it provides. Microcomputer use in schools in the future is also examined. (Author/JJD)

What uses of computers have effects on student engagement that seem most predicative of important learning? This research provides some evidence about this, examining empirical associations between kinds of software students use, teachers' pedagogical motivations behind their use, and one measure of student engagement: teachers' estimates of the…

If computers were used ideally in education, each student would have enough computer time, each computer enough student time, and computer-based activities would be chosen well. The move towards using microcomputers in the schools has less to do with any clear and demonstrable instructional advantage of using them, and more to do with general…

Describes three encyclopedias available on CD-ROM: (1) Grolier's Electronic Encyclopedia; (2) World Book's Information Finder; and (3) Compton's Multimedia Encyclopedia. Ideas for how they might be used in the classroom are suggested, information retrieval versus motivation is discussed, learning processes are examined, and stand-alone versus…

This review, which examines three sources of evidence about the effects of computer-assisted instruction on student achievement (national surveys, research reviews, and recent experimental studies), concludes that existing evidence of computer effectiveness is scanty. A new research initiative is described which combines the benefits of survey and…

Considers the motives for schools acquiring computers, three different ways in which computers may be relevant to instruction, and the extent to which they address broadly shared ideals for children's education. Also discusses the effectiveness of computer-assisted instruction in drills and tutorials and the development of writing skills. (RDN)

Discusses the centralization and decentralization of decision making about computer use in elementary and secondary schools based on results of a 1989 national survey. Results unexpectedly indicate that more successful programs are the result of districtwide planning than individual teacher or school-level decision making. (LRW)

Discusses equity issues surrounding the use of technology in schools. Topics addressed include a global perspective; the effect of information and communication technology on government and business; the impact of technology on student learning; cultural transformation within schools through technology; and the importance of demonstrating…

Discussion of ways to effectively use computers in classrooms focuses on a national survey, the CompEd survey of the IEA (International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement), that examined computer use in grades 3-12. Highlights include teacher attitudes, teacher roles, and the need for improved software and more powerful…

This paper reviews evaluation reports on the use of integrated learning systems (ILSs) in elementary and middle schools throughout the United States in light of the following questions: Do these systems work? Do students make more progress using an ILS than learning in "traditional" ways? Could the cost of software and equipment be…

The Second National Survey of Instructional Uses of School Computers gathered information from more than 10,000 principals and computer-using teachers in a probability sample of over 2,300 U.S. elementary and secondary schools during the spring of 1985. Information was obtained through questionnaires and telephone interviews. The first of six to…

This examination of the research on computer-based instruction for the major academic subjects in the elementary and secondary grades considers three varieties of empirical data--surveys of computer-using teachers, school district program evaluations, and experimental field studies. A discussion of the findings of two national surveys of…

Data from a national survey of schools indicate that women were "primary" computer-using teachrs(PCUT's) in 67 percent of elementary and 44 percent of secondary schools sampled. Men and women PCUT's showed some differences in attitudes, programing activities, and extent of use. Women have been important in promoting early computer use in schools.…