This study evaluates the utility of Wordshark, a multisensory drill-and-practice computer program designed to improve children's spelling and word recognition skills. Discusses results of a questionnaire sent to United Kingdom schools that investigated use in elementary and secondary schools; students with special education needs; and Individual…

Discusses middle school students' hypermedia projects using IBM's "Linkway" that are developed with students, teachers, and the library media specialist. Assessment in the areas of presentation, cooperative learning skills, computer skills, and knowledge is described, and the development of scoring rubrics is explained. (LRW)

Hypermedia-based courseware used at the University of Alabama for optometric education is described, focusing on these key features: uses of graphics; interactivity and navigation options; and capacity for printing course material, including both text and graphics, for handouts. The system has been found effective in both a multiinstructor…

A study (n=181 college students) examined effects of lexical ambiguity in computer-assisted language learning (CALL) on beginning second-language learners, focusing on whether personality type affects retention of second-language vocabulary independent of translation issues and in an ambiguous CALL context. Findings support the need for beginning…

Describes projects in a fifth grade classroom that used data collection and graph making activities as part of a collaborative project between the teacher and the library media specialist. Discusses the use of Excel spreadsheets, comparing the effectiveness of different types of graphs, and project planning. (LRW)

Reviews current directions and developments in cognitive theory and instructional design, highlighting cognitive science, constructivism, component-based instruction, customization, and creativity. In a practical implementation, a computerized interactive learning environment which has been developed for university freshmen in theoretical computer…

The classroom teacher's comfort and familiarity with computers and software influences student-computer use in the classroom. Teachers remain mired in repetitive introduction of basic software mechanics and rarely progress with students to advanced concepts or complex applications. An Online Assistant (OLA) was developed to accompany the…

This handbook provides information on 31 software programs designed to instruct students with attention disorders in individual and group settings. The most successful applications of instructional software are identified, and six broad categories of instructional software are discussed. Twenty-one strategies for teaching students with attention…

A 3-D contingent scaffolding model of a hypermedia system is proposed which gradually weans learners off the technical support of instructors or more knowledgeable peers as they master certain skills. The model permits the instructor to vary his or her support in response to the learner's performance in a learning task consisting of a sequence of…

Laptop computers offer a unique way to package a course so that students will learn academic communication skills using the latest technological tools. Laptops can be programmed to be compatible with a school's computer system, eliminating many potential problems students might face in adapting their home computers. Additionally, a level playing…

This paper describes the COILS (Co-taught Integrated Learning System) program at Boyne City (Michigan) High School. The program utilizes the sequentially based computer programs of the Integrated Learning System (ILS) as well as the co-teaching model to integrate special education students into regular classes in the areas of English, Applied…

This paper reports on a project aimed at designing, implementing, and evaluating a hypermedia system, IPER-3, facing the three classical problems in the history of mathematics (i.e., trisection of the angle, quadrature of the circle, and duplication of the cube). The goal of the project is to study the opportunities offered by this kind of…

This paper describes a range of computer assisted learning software models--linear, unstructured, and ideal--and discusses issues such as control, interactivity, and ease-of-programming. It also introduces a "compromise model" used for a package currently under development at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, which is intended to…

Since 1993, the Critical Thinking Cooperative (TC2) has initiated projects with school districts and universities throughout British Columbia. To date, the main emphasis has been on social studies, with the exception of some recent work in language arts. This paper investigates the application of the TC2 model of critical thinking to computers,…

This paper presents an approach for developing flexible Hypermedia Learning Environments (HMLE) and applies this theoretical framework to the creation of a layered model of a hypermedia system, called HyperDisc, developed at the German Institute for Research on Distance Education. The first section introduces HMLE and suggests that existing…