Suggests that, in reviewing software, educators should apply the following criteria within the context of their objectives and the students' needs: content; instructional presentation; demands placed on the learner; technical features; and documentation and management features. Concludes that integration of computer software with traditional means…

Offers guidelines for reviewing and evaluating English language arts software. Includes advice on using the guidelines. (RS)

Successful introduction of major new software applications requires worker commitment, inservice training, and communication. Cost justification considers the cost of computer purchase, installation, inservice training, salary, time lost due to "bugs," plus the cost of modifications. (MLF)

Discusses 12 questions that teachers and administrators should ask when evaluating educational software. Considers points such as the consistency with the curriculum, the appropriateness of media and activities, the opportunity for practice and review, the allowance for social interaction, and the accessibility to students. (SR)

Several districts in Lower Hudson Valley region of New York decided to study cost savings of using software purchasing program versus other methods by conducting same bids at approximately the same time. The study reports, analyzes, and summarizes bids conducted during the 1992-93 and the 1993-94 school years and concludes that using the…

This book provides an overview of the potential of multimedia budget proposals. The text reviews the fundamentals of multimedia, emphasizing how it improves communication by using multiple levels of input. A process for analyzing many of the budget decisions that must be made, as adapted from Robert Finney's five-step process of "Gap…

Increases in the availability of technology, the range of content software, and curriculum via the Internet have placed countless options in the hands of teachers. Similarly, increasing accountability has placed added pressure on teachers to meet stated objectives and ensure student performance. How can teachers optimize available technologies and…

This article provides teachers a framework for choosing computer software to assist with writing instruction for students with learning disabilities. The various writing problems that software programs can address are described. Appendices include a writing needs checklist, writing requirements checklist, and list of features of computer-supported…

Ideas are presented for identifying, evaluating, and selecting instructional software for children with special needs. The article notes several library research tools as sources of information and lists specific questions to consider when evaluating software. (JDD)

A mainframe computer installed at a school district had all information online within a 24-month period. The key elements to success were adequate research and staff input, open communication, exemplary training, and a data-processing staff that made site visits to help with hardware or software problems. (MLF)

Describes how the Muskoka Board of Education in Bracebridge, Ontario, revised its purchasing and budget-management system to coincide with its new site-based management policy. The district developed individual school budgets, established an online computing network, and acquired software that permitted remote-site entry. (LMI)

This article describes five organizational Web sites that are good resources in selecting and using software with children who have special needs. The sites represent the DO-IT project, the Trace Research and Development Center, Special Needs Opportunity Windows, the Family Center on Technology and Disability, and the National Center for…

This article offers guidelines for evaluating and selecting appropriate software for use with gifted children and examines the advantages and limitations of computer-assisted instruction with this population. (DB)

Discusses the challenge of teachers having limited instruction with choosing appropriate software packages for classroom instruction. Discusses generating a review form that can guide teachers in the selection of educational software. Presents a list of criteria for evaluating software. (SC)

Explains how software transportation programs help school districts track school-bus routes, fleet status, and other information and how to move a district to such a system. Advice is provided on the criteria for selecting software vendors, matching data and information of new software with systems and procedures already in place, training users,…