Points out that computer software which is to be used with young children in early childhood classes must be designed and selected to reflect a sound developmental approach to learning. Also presents 10 criteria for developmentally appropriate software and reviews several developmentally appropriate computer programs for young children. (BB)

In all likelihood, computer use in early childhood will continue to increase. However, there is reason for concern about how computers will be placed into classrooms, what activities will be chosen for children, what interactions will take place, and whether these interactions will consider appropriate readiness and development levels. Computers…

Four studies are offered from a Piagetian perspective on providing children with an optimal microcomputer environment. Guidelines stress the importance of flexibility, and a hierarchical software environment. (CL)

This study focused on the cognitive conflicts experienced by young children in using software programs that provided them with tools to create and/or combine individual graphic elements into larger structures. Six 5-year-old children, none with prior computer experience, were observed using three programs--Kids at Work, Picture Perfect, and…

This paper identifies several reasons for the gap between the possible instructional uses of computers and their actual use in classrooms and discusses considerations in planning programs which will bring computer education closer to its envisioned promise. The Assessing the Cognitive Consequences of Computer Environments for Learning (ACCCEL)…

Use of computers by young children may increase cognitive development and motivation. Computer use may also increase capabilities of disabled children. Concerns about young children's use of computers center on the nature of software, cultural values reflected in software, and equity of computer use. (NH)

The resource guide identifies products which assist learning disabled and mentally retarded individuals in accessing IBM (International Business Machine) Personal Computers or the IBM Personal System/2 family of products. An introduction provides a general overview of ways computers can help learning disabled or retarded persons. The document then…

Reviews two software programs for Apple series computers. Includes "Orbital Mech," a basic planetary orbital simulation for the Macintosh, and "START: Stimulus and Response Tools for Experiments in Memory, Learning, Cognition, and Perception," a program that demonstrates basic psychological principles and experiments. (CW)

Defines cognitive computer tools as software programs that use the control capabilities of computers to amplify, extend, or enhance human cognition; suggests seven ways in which computers can aid learning; and describes the "Learning Tool," a software package for the Apple Macintosh microcomputer that is designed to aid learning of…

This paper synthesizes some of the many ideas and issues pertaining to research on the development of writing skills, and on creating new technologies for writing. Such technologies include computer-based production tools, videodiscs, and other mass storage technologies with potential for knowledge storing and structuring. The discussion also…

Explains philosophy of the Higher Order Thinking Skills Project, which utilizes microcomputers in a learning laboratory to develop in upper elementary school students the thinking ability needed to construct sophisticated associations between ideas; describes curriculum used to teach these skills; and reviews software and hardware utilized and…

Described and evaluated are microcomputers as a tool for construction in geometry education and heuristic theorem finding through interactive continuous variation of geometric configurations. Numerous examples of theorem finding processes are provided using the prototype graphics system CABRI-Geometer. (MDH)