Graphing is a common and powerful symbol system for representing concrete data. Yet research has shown that students often have graphical misconceptions about how graphs are related to the concrete event. Currently, the Technical Education Research Center (TERC) is developing microcomputer-based laboratories (MBL) science units that use probes to…

Discusses constructive ways to use microcomputers as educational aids. Areas considered include software packages with graphics capabilities to help students visualize their work, programs fostering skill development (including problem-solving), microcomputer rentals, use of computers to learn programing languages, and others. (JN)

Discusses issues related to how students should use computers in schools. Indicates that using computers as tools leads to further experimentation and new discoveries and that skills learned in the computing process can be used to find innovative ways to solve new problems. (JN)

Points out that the effectiveness of microcomputer-based laboratory (MBL) activities will be examined. Also indicates that a study is being conducted to assess children's and college students' mental models of heat and temperature and to determine how these models change when students learn about heat through MBLs. (JN)

Discusses: (1) advantages of a computer lab; (2) types of computer programs that can help students develop computational, application, comprehension, and analytical skills; (3) how computers can help students with such affective goals as appreciation and motivation toward mathematics; and (4) content areas where computers can be useful. (JN)

This article describes 6 of the 17 school computer projects awarded $600,000 in microcomputer equipment and software in the "Wheels for the Mind" program established by Apple Education Affairs. Apple would provide advanced courses for rural schools, set up an intercultural network, develop reasoning skills, train teachers, and create…

Instrumentation, methodology, and analysis techniques were developed to measure changes in adolescents' (N=10) skills in linear distance estimation. Microcomputers were used to present and control amount of information available to assist students in said estimations. Results and implications are reported. (Author/SK)

Changes that computer technology has brought about in higher education and skills needed by faculty and students are discussed. Computer/information literacy is important in higher education and in graduates' work after college. Tools introduced by technology include: microcomputers connected to the university's central computer, electronic mail…

A promising new development in science education is the use of microcomputer-based laboratory tools that allow for student-directed data acquisition, display, and analysis. Microcomputer-based laboratories (MBL) make use of inexpensive microcomputer-connected probes to measure such physical quantities as temperature, position, and various…

Microcomputer-based laboratories (MBL), the use of microcomputers for student-directed data acquisition and analysis, represents a promising new development in science laboratory instruction. This descriptive study determined the impact of MBLs on middle school students' understanding of graphs of distance and velocity. The study was based on the…

This instructional guide, one of a series developed by the Technical Education Advancement Modules (TEAM) project, is a 16-hour introduction to plant floor operations. The guide is designed to develop the following competencies: (1) understanding the characteristics and components of personal computer (PC) networks; (2) computer networking…

This six-part yearbook, consisting of individual papers, focuses on various aspects of computers and microtechnology in education. Issues and problems are addressed in part 1, including: computer role in thinking, learning, and educating; teachers' unions and the impact of computer-based technologies; evaluation of computer-assisted learning;…

This course focuses on terms, operations, and functions of computers. It is linked to mobile technology in the trucking industry. Applications include word processing, spread sheets, data bases, and other software packages. The course description lists target audience, general objective, and typical results observed. The next section gives…

This third of three volumes reports on analytic procedures conducted to address various aspects of the scalar properties of the Device Effectiveness Forecasting Technique (DEFT). DEFT, a series of microcomputer programs applied to data gathered from rating scales, is used to evaluate simulator devices used in U.S. Army weapons training. The…

This report describes an analytic training Device Effectiveness Forecasting Technique known as DEFT. DEFT accounts for device effectivness in terms of several different criteria and classes of independent predictor variables. In its present form, DEFT is a series of interactive, menu-driven computer programs that provide for three levels of device…