Discusses writing instruction in elementary and secondary schools. Writing reforms are suggested, including increasing time spent on writing and encouraging process writing; writing across the curriculum is discussed; the use of technology is considered; and sidebars give examples of writing improvement programs. (LRW)

Describes a study that investigated how to teach computer skills to undergraduate female novice users through the design of an instructional manual that facilitated learning computer skills and increased computer self-efficacy by using familiar analogies. Treatment of the experimental and control groups is explained, and measurement techniques are…

Designed to promote Manitoba students' familiarity with computer technology and their ability to interact with that technology, the Computer Applications and Technology 105 course is a one-credit course presented in 15 topical, non-sequential units that require 110-120 hours of instruction time. It has been developed with the assumption that each…

This report reviews student usage of microcomputers in schools and the effects of microcomputer use on their academic achievement. Data was collected using: (1) a national survey from the 1989 international "CompEd" survey of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement; (2) a 1989 survey of teacher attitudes…

This curriculum guide is one of five developed as part of the Illinois Plan for Business, Marketing, and Management Education for use in 9th and 10th grades. The curriculum guide includes teacher and student activities that can be implemented in many ways. Information on how to integrate the activity objectives of the Illinois Plan into the State…

This course curriculum is intended for use in an advanced information processing course. It builds on the skills developed in the previous information processing course but goes one step further by requiring students to perform in a simulated office environment and improve their decision-making skills. This volume contains two parts of the…

This course curriculum is intended for use by community college insructors and administrators in implementing an advanced information processing course. It builds on the skills developed in the previous information processing course but goes one step further by requiring students to perform in a simulated office environment and improve their…

The controversy over appropriate educational uses of computers is framed along a continuum based on the amount of support provided to the user. Software programs in which the user's role is to respond in a pre-determined structure (program controlled software) anchors one end of the continuum, while software which empowers the user to create new…

The impact of growing numbers of personal computers at Dartmouth College was assessed. During one academic year (1984- 1985), the number of personal computers (mostly Macintoshes) grew from less than 50 to almost 2,000. The assessment focused on three areas: purchase and admissions data, student life, and the curriculum. Tentative findings…

This paper describes the results of a study of the microcomputer use patterns reflected by more than 13,000 users' records from the microcomputer laboratory at Western Kentucky University for 1983 to 1986. The data analyzed focused on: (1) numbers of users; (2) frequent user groups; (3) sex differences; (4) prime time usage; (5) the use of…

A summary is provided of the activities and outcomes of Irvine Valley College's (IVC's) CompuEnglish Project, a program designed to introduce word processing skills in Freshman Composition classes and assess improvements in student writing. First, introductory material describes efforts in computer-based composition undertaken at other schools,…

Many reading teachers, cognizant of the creative opportunities for skill development allowed by new reading-writing software, are choosing to use microcomputers in their classrooms full-time. Adventure story creation programs capitalize on reading-writing integration by allowing children, with appropriate assistance, to create their own…

Miniaturized computer technology can raise both language and education beyond the current capacity to understand. Children's learning is more complex, powerful, and subtle than it is usually given credit for, and language is more elaborate and intricate than is generally realized. Computers must be used carefully, but they offer many…

A study examined the behavior of first graders as they collaborated on a writing exercise using a word processor. Data were collected over three weeks in the form of fieldnotes and 13.5 hours of videotape of students working at the computer. Videotapes were examined to locate patterns of discourse and physical actions, and by abstracting from the…

The use of microcomputers in language arts instruction with exceptional students can be an effective tool for both teaching and reinforcing skills, but is not typically employed as an integral part of the overall language arts curriculum. Research studies substantiate the positive impact on student performance when microcomputers are effectively…