This guide lists 21 software packages considered to be worthy of further consideration by other reviewing agencies and schools by a group of 12 computer coordinators from educational software preview centers and evaluation agencies. These software products have been selected as not being likely to appear in the reviews produced by major software…

To help those who find themselves resisting microcomputers and those who have already made a decision to begin using the new technology, this paper summarizes the ways microcomputers can increase the flexibility, efficiency, impact, organization, information access, and creativity of those in the field of communication. Following an overview of…

This paper argues that recent developments in technology hold considerable promise for distance education. Audiocassettes, audiographics (the combining of natural sound, via the telephone or audiocassettes, with computer-generated graphics), videocassettes, and computer conferencing are used as examples to identify factors that should be…

This paper describes the Shakespeare Project, an interactive videodisk computer program developed at Stanford University which permits students to study, design, and enjoy theater. The prototype consists of three basic programs, which are described in detail: (1) a videodisk-based "tutorial" called "Page to Stage," that teaches…

Many computerized educational activities are controlled by the student as well as by the hardware or software being used. When the student can make decisions that will affect the responses of the computer, the computer becomes a tool for exploration and is not merely a vehicle for delivering instruction. Some of the activities that involve student…

Designed to assess the effect of alternative display (CRT) screen sizes and resolution levels on user ability to identify and locate printed circuit (PC) board points, this study is the first in a protracted research program on the legibility of graphics in computer-based job aids. Air Force maintenance training pipeline students (35 male and 1…

The development and evaluation of a potential viewdata-style delivery system for computer assisted learning (CAL) at the Open University are described. First examined are Open University problems with CAL and television delivery systems, which resulted in the consideration of a viewdata approach involving allocation of a small central processor to…

This handbook for teachers offers guidance on introducing computer literacy into elementary and secondary classrooms. It includes a list of computer concepts exemplified by each step in learning to write programs in BASIC Programming Language and the objectives for the elementary and secondary activities; suggestions for using computers in…

A developmental curriculum project is summarized which investigates the feasibility of using the PLATO computer assisted instruction (CAI) system to assist in the presentation of material in a geometry course which requires pictorial responses by the student. Geometrical concepts such as congruence, symmetry, perpendicularity, parallel, triangle,…

A new computer-assisted instruction (CAI) system for college teaching is being tested in two locations by the MITRE Corporation. The system, called TICCIT (Time-Share Interactive Computer-Controlled Information Television), now interacts with more than 100 students, each moving at his own pace, for four semesters of community college math and…

Several interactive videodisc lessons--Physics and Automobile Collisions, Energy Transformations Featuring the Bicycle, Studies in Motion, and Puzzle of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse--are discussed in terms of Malone's theory based on computer game analysis that challenge, curiosity, and fantasy are aspects of intrinsic motivation for…

Describes Graphics Project for Foreign Language Learning at the University of Pennsylvania, which has developed ways of displaying foreign scripts on microcomputers. Character design on computer screens is explained; software for graphics, printing, and language instruction is discussed; and a text editor is described that corrects optically…

Discussion of laboratory experiment simulation in science and engineering education focuses on the need for authoring systems that can be used to create simulations. An editor for a simulator model containing variables and mathematical equations is presented, and screen displays and data analysis are discussed. (LRW)

Outlines the design considerations that go into making an authoring system. Uses examples from the author's system, "Private Tutor," to illustrate. Emphasis is on the concepts that define the operation of the authoring system. Also discusses design principles of "Private Tutor" in relation to the Macintosh computer. (Author/LMO)

Suggests a series of ratio activities that make use of a computer to produce graphical collections of objects in a grid with variable dimensions. Extends content to the areas of proportions, statistics, probability, programming, and problem solving. (PK)