This paper presents ideas about what is required for the development of expertise in computer technology and considers those requirements in the K-12 setting. This analysis comes from the point of view of long-time, self-trained users of personal computers and computer communications and long-time observer of the growth of technology expertise in…

This report summarizes way in which computer technology and communications have been found to enhance learning in K-12 classrooms. This discussion of the learning-related outcomes of computer technology in K-12 education assumes: that the technology is used in appropriate ways, and that the technology is used in the course teaching, by a teacher…

This study examined recent (1995-1998) education students' exposure to a variety of instructional technologies prior to taking a required instructional technology course. The purpose was to identify how frequently students had used various technologies before entering the required course and to identify longitudinal changes and/or trends in…

This paper is based upon the findings of four major research projects. The first project (1986-88) explored issues of good practice, accreditation, and progression in information technology (IT) education and training for teenagers between the ages of 12 and 20. The second project produced the National Curriculum documents. A consensus resulted…

The introduction of computers into classrooms is one of the latest examples of educational innovation. It has been well established in the literature and in practice almost everywhere that teachers need to be actively involved in the development of teaching materials and aids needed to bring about educational computing in order to acquire a sense…

This study was conducted to investigate factors that affect the attitudes of preservice teachers towards computer use. The focus was on: (1) the comfort level prospective teachers feel towards using the computer; (2) interest in pursuing other courses in the field of computer technology; and (3) the intent to use the computer in classrooms.…

The staff of the Mathematics and Computer Science Department at Lansing Community College (LCC), in Michigan, has developed a unique combination of techniques for course support. These techniques have been incorporated into an 11-week course, "Introduction to Computers," which meets for 4 hours of lecture each week, and provides hands-on…

To determine the degree of knowledge and use of computer technology by elementary education majors at Henderson State University (Arkansas), 226 students were surveyed. Results indicated that: (1) 52 percent of the traditional students (age 24 and under) and 58 percent of the nontraditional students (over 24) felt inadequate with regard to…

In 1983, the Syracuse All-University Gerontology Center (AUGC) began to offer computer classes to older adults. In starting what is now called the Computers and the Elderly Program, AUGC's director and assistant director sought advice from the Syracuse University Elders Council, comprised of older alumni, who were also among the first class…

To clarify computer literacy needs in teacher education, this study focused on the determination of computer literacy course offerings in higher education institutions, the perceived skills a computer literate teacher should possess, and discrepancies between teacher perceptions and computer literacy course offerings. Results were used to develop…

Patterns of occurrence and type of computer use, major, gender, and computer anxiety were analyzed for teacher education students. Over a 4-year period beginning in the fall semester of 1986, 914 teacher education students provided data for this study while they were enrolled in a mandatory computer awareness module. All of the subjects were…

This project trained 52 severely handicapped children (ages 3-12) on communication skills using microprocessor technology. Data analyses showed discernible effect of the additional computer training when compared to regular classroom communication training alone. Effects were strongest on a direct criterion-referenced measure of vocabulary taught.…

After placing second in an international school newspaper competition for which they had won first prize seven consecutive years, and discovering that the reasons for the drop included typographical errors and poor printing, the staff of the student newspaper of Danville (Illinois) High School invested in a Macintosh 128K computer. The Macintosh…

Declares the need to train teachers to use computers in reading and language arts and describes a training program used with undergraduate education majors at the State University of New York at Geneseo. (SRT)

Discusses the advantages of conducting online computer searches of "Chemical Abstracts." Introduces the logical sequences involved in searching an online database. Explains Boolean logic, proximity operators, truncation, searchable fields, and command language, as they relate to the use of online searches in undergraduate chemistry…