Video and computer games have assumed a prominent role in the culture of U.S. children and adolescents. The paper examines the health effects of these games, suggests criteria upon which parents and teachers may evaluate the games, and notes some implications for health educators. (SM)

Explores elements of game design: entertainment, fantasy, nonthreatening reality, objectives, rules, opposition, hazards, outcomes; a rationale for using games in courseware; advantages of World Wide Web Instructional gaming: asynchronous learning opportunities, process data gathering, real-time interaction across geographically dispersed…

Discussion of the use of microcomputers by special education students highlights a study that compared the effects of a drill and practice program with an instructional computer game on the acquisition of multiplication skills among junior high and high school learning disabled students. (22 references) (LRW)

Presents an alternative model for using the computer as an aid in teaching mathematics. Highlights include a mathematics teaching model; computer software for drill and practice, tutorials, simulation, games, and computer managed instruction; integrating computers into the mathematics curriculum; and examples of computer activities for…

Considers the value and success of computer based marketing simulations from the standpoint of both instructors and participants. Distinctions are drawn between simulations and games; applications in higher education in the United Kingdom are described; future possibilities are suggested; and hidden costs in adopting new innovations are examined.…

Two studies to determine how students interact with two microworlds that reflect a constructivist view of learning investigated students' goals during interaction, strategies utilized to achieve their goals, changes in goals during interaction, and common patterns of interaction and learning. Concludes that well-designed games enable students to…

Discusses girls' use of computers and examines why they are often discouraged and lose interest. Topics addressed include the issue of gender; gender bias in computer games; use of the Internet; exposure to technology; girls' preferences; educational reform; choosing software; technology programs for girls; all-girl classrooms; and role models.…

System-initiated adaptive advice and learner-requested nonadaptive background information were investigated in computer simulation game experiments with 64 seventh graders, 38 college students, and 80 seventh and eighth graders in Germany. Results are discussed in terms of theories of problem solving, intelligence, memory, and information…

Describes KID DESIGNER, a project that emphasizes play as a lifelong learning process by teaching elementary school students how to design their own educational computer games that embed content from subjects studied in the classroom. Topics include constructivism; cooperative learning; project-based activities; prior learning; group dynamics; and…

The education industry has obviously been influenced by the Internet revolution. Teaching and learning methods have changed significantly since the coming of the Web and it is very likely they will keep evolving many years to come thanks to it. A good example of this changing reality is the spectacular development of e-Learning. In a more…

The reopening of a middle school in San Diego, California, provided a testing ground for a unique collaborative effort between the school faculty, a university department, and Apple Computer Corporation. The desire to infuse technology and cultural awareness across the curriculum led to the development of an interactive "microworld" game…

Describes a study that investigated the effect of motivational variables on task persistence and performance in Navy technical training by giving students problems in a self-paced computer simulation game or drill with variable or fixed payoff points. Student responses to an evaluation questionnaire are discussed. (14 references) (LRW)

Presents a geography program to show students why the European Community was formed. Involves student research of economic data, creation of a computer database on the European Community, and simulation of trading. Emphasizes geographic themes of movement, region formation, and change in response to economic forces. Includes game rules, sample…

Presents activities employing LOGO to help create situations that enable students to make meaningful cognitive connections while exploring mathematical relationships. Activities explore the concepts of angles and rotations, progressing from off-line to on-line activities with suggested extensions. (MDH)

In 1995, rather than require seventh-grade computer literacy classes, Texas allowed school districts to integrate technology skills into curricula. This article, the first of three, describes technology integration for sixth grade. Includes unit ideas on nations; the Holocaust; Olympic diving; Christmas; probability; organisms; Antarctica;…