NaturalReader (http://www.naturalreaders.com/) is a new generation text reader, which means that it reads any machine readable text using synthesized speech without having to copy and paste the selected text into the NaturalReader application window. It installs a toolbar directly into all of the Microsoft Office[TM] programs and uses a mini-board…

The fourth in a series of articles on the evaluation of microcomputer software for information storage and retrieval, conducted by the Netherlands Association of Users of Online Information Systems (VOGIN), presents test results for six indexing and full-text retrieval programs--Ask-It, KAware, Texplore, TextMaster, WordCruncher, and ZYindex. (13…

This second in a series of articles on a software evaluation project conducted by the Netherlands Association of Users of Online Information Systems (VOGIN) lists and compares specifications, properties, and test results for nine microcomputer-based software programs that fall into the category of classical information retrieval systems. (26…

Lists and compares specifications, properties, and test results of eight microcomputer software programs for information storage and retrieval by endusers. This is one of a series of articles that have reported the results of a software evaluation project conducted by The Netherlands Association of Users of Online Information Systems (VOGIN). (22…

A number of recently released software programs seek to introduce young people to rain forests and wildlife-rich areas of Africa. Seven of these programs are reviewed for the cultural diversity they acknowledged, and their ease of use and educational value are evaluated. (SLD)

This field test report was completed for a producer of an educational computer software program. The program, designed to help students learn about Canadian history, is outlined. The program simulates the events and atmosphere of the years 1864-1873, formative years in Canada's history; the student user is cast in the role of a journalist on the…

This publication updates the 1982 occasional paper that was intended to foster staff awareness and assist colleges in Great Britain considering the use of computer-aided design (CAD) material in engineering courses. The paper begins by defining CAD and its place in the Integrated Business System with a brief discussion of the effect of CAD on the…

Discussion of microcomputer-based social science laboratories highlights a program for data analysis that was developed by the Norwegian Social Science Data Services (NSD) primarily for use in high schools. Four teaching packages are described that include data material and workbooks, and future packages under development are described. (LRW)

Students pursuing Australian studies should be given every possible opportunity to work with materials produced in Australia. There is a substantial and growing list of good curriculum software written within Australia and from an Australian perspective which can add interest and excitement to Australian geography classrooms. Computers can be used…

Reviews 30 new resources for environmental information, including databases produced by government agencies, universities, private organizations, and others; and Internet resources, including listserv discussion groups, databases accessed through gopher and World Wide Web, electronic journals, bulletin boards, online services, computer disks, and…

Provides a methodology for selection of an expert support system (ESS) in an emergency management training environment. A decision matrix construct for selection of an ESS for casualty disposition training at Emergency Preparedness Canada is presented, and four system options of simulation models that deal with emergency management are described.…

An important goal of the Educational Information Exchange (EIE) of Alberta Education is to provide leadership in promoting school student record automation. This document presents a mechanism for the review, evaluation, and recommendation of school-based student records software for the EIE. The report provides an overview of the initiative to…

Reviews five instructional media packages designed for classroom use. Discusses the content and approach of each of the items, which include a computer game, two video cassettes, and two instructional films. Includes teaching suggestions for using the products. (CFR)

Contends that computers and television have contributed to a sense of global connectedness. Presents reviews of a computer software program and two videotape series that focus on global issues and children in other cultures. Asserts that instructional materials such as these can help reduce ethnocentrism among students. (CFR)

The directory provides reviews of 50 software programs approved for educational use in Alberta (Canada) schools. Each program was reviewed by two teachers with the purpose of determining the specific populations of special needs students (including the gifted) that the programs would be suitable for and the approximate grade level with which the…