The importance of providing pre-service and in-service teachers with sufficient training and practice in integrating technology into their classrooms has led several studies to investigate the possible effects of pre-determined training and practice provided to teachers. However, most of these studies seem to have focussed on teachers' beliefs and…

CADMOS is a graphical learning design (LD) authoring tool that helps a teacher design a unit of learning in two layers: (i) the conceptual layer, which seems like a concept map and contains the learning activities with their associated learning resources and (ii) the flow layer, which contains the orchestration of these activities. One of CADMOS'…

Grid computing environments with abundant resources can support innovative e-Learning applications, and are promising platforms for e-Learning. To support individualized and adaptive learning, teachers are encouraged to develop various teaching materials according to different requirements. However, traditional methodologies for designing teaching…

As blended language learning environments evolve within tertiary foreign language institutions, issues of power with regards to the privileging of electronic technologies come to the fore. Blended learning, or the principled mix of online and classroom-based activities, challenges the practices of traditional CALL and face-to-face teaching within…

Program animation systems have not been as widely adopted by computer science educators as we might expect from the firm belief that they can help in enhancing computer science education. One of the most notable obstacles to their adoption is the considerable effort that the production of program animations represents for the instructor. We…

Apple's SuperPILOT is an authoring language that allows teachers to easily and quickly create effective programs for classroom use. SuperPILOT features (such as turtle graphics routines) and commands are described. Several sample program listings (including one for a tutorial on the periodic table) are presented. (JN)

Designed to encourage community college faculty to examine the opportunities and responsibilities for educational software development and use, this booklet offers an overview of the steps involved in developing quality software. After reviewing some of the innovative uses of software in education, the booklet focuses on the readers' goals for…

Foreign language teachers are encouraged to participate in developing computer courseware. Advantages include the potential for higher quality and more plentiful materials, increased confidence with computers, and the kind of discipline a computer affords in focusing on and organizing an exercise. (MSE)

For social studies teachers who want to create their own software, authoring systems and authoring languages offer an interesting avenue to be explored. An authoring system available from Courseware, Inc., (California) and the authoring language PILOT available from Apple Computer (California) are described. (RM)

In cooperation with a university educational technology unit, an agronomy professor used hypercard and videodisk technology to develop a computer program for identification of 181 weed species based on user-selected characteristics. This solution was found during a search for a way to organize course content in a concise, manageable system. (MSE)

Describes use of authoring systems--software packages which guide authors through the programming process, eliminating the need to know how to program--as a practical solution to the problem of teachers developing their own microcomputer courseware. Some representative authoring systems, their benefits and costs, and specific products are…

This theme issue provides brief descriptions or reviews of specific authoring tools including the Digital, TenCORE, EASE, Courseware (Apple), and PLATO authoring systems. Articles on conceptual or practical issues emerging from extensive experience in specific settings or based on use of specific authoring systems are also presented. (MBR)

Describes the Mandell Instant-Active Device, a microcomputer-based system that enables teachers to add questions and/or statement prompts to an existing videotape without affecting the videotape itself. Applications, procedures, student feedback, and hardware requirements are discussed. Ordering information is included. (MES)

Defines eight software production stages, and argues that the key to the production of a higher quantity of reasonable quality software lies in development of support technologies to assist teachers in software development. Three approaches--software toolboxes, computer assisted instruction (CAI) program shells, and software CAI analysts--are…

As part of its ongoing effort to develop Army embedded training (ET) systems in which a tactical computer system is used to train personnel about its own utilization, a project was conducted to develop and evaluate courseware on how to program lessons for computer assisted instruction (CAI). Since PLANIT (Programing Language for Interactive…