Considerations in purchasing microcomputer hardware and software for the education of severely handicapped students are reviewed, including service availability, ability to individualize instruction, and the accompanying documentation. Sources of resistance from potential users are noted. (CL)

Jefferson County (Colorado) schools have used computers in instructional programs for 25 years, but with limited student access until 1983 when the district purchased its first lab. Controversy arose over computer selection and program curriculum. (SI)

This article discusses strategies for encouraging children with and without disabilities to have fun together and learn with computers, the rationale and benefits of inclusive computer play, and the outcomes of a study in which children engaged in inclusive computer play. Recommendations for materials, grouping, and scheduling are provided.…

The use of a model of an effective inservice program developed in Fort Thomas, Kentucky, revealed that in order to provide better inservice programs for experienced teachers, the programs should be an assessment of the needs and professional concerns of the teachers as directly expressed by them. Those developing the program should insist on…

In 1998, the Visually Impaired Personnel Preparation Program was established in Texas to train 100 teachers of students with visual impairments and 50 orientation and mobility specialists. By May 2000, 194 students had enrolled. Course work was delivered at outreach sites and through online courses, interactive television, and on campuses.…

A rationale for the inclusion of training in computer-assisted instruction (CAI) in teacher education programs at both preservice and inservice levels is presented. The nature of teacher training in computer-assisted language learning (CALL) is described through a variety of examples. Areas covered include: the need for an understanding of the…

This book is the result of a cooperative project of several European countries--Belgium, Greece, Ireland, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Each country involved provides a chapter outlining a national project or a specific organization presents its own approach and initiatives to teacher education, with particular…

This guide is the result of three projects that have been working to address the problem of intergenerational illiteracy in writing. While writing skills are limited among the general population, they are even more limited among limited-English-speaking students (both school-aged and adult learners). The guidebook is a self-help manual for…

This document profiles five schools that were selected as winners of the "Fifth Annual Business Week Awards for Instructional Innovation: Schools in the Age of Technology": Bailey's Elementary School for the Arts and Sciences (Falls Church, Virginia); Hunterdon Central Regional High School (Flemington, New Jersey); John Muir Elementary School…

A discussion of elementary and middle school curriculum design to meet the needs of students learning English as a Second Language (ESL) focuses on the ways in which ESL instruction can be incorporated into the curriculum. It begins with a brief review of statistics on the population of limited-English-proficient (LEP) students in the schools and…

Designed to help school districts move from exploring the use of computers in the classroom to the comprehensive planning and development of computer education programs, this guide is organized around five steps essential to the process of developing a district program. Phase 1 includes the following preliminary activities involved in planning for…