Reviews research on effective teacher characteristics and generalizes them to effective microcomputer instruction. Characteristics discussed include allocating adequate time for academic tasks, curriculum pacing, providing supportive and efficient learning environments, use of group management procedures, teaching skills before drill and practice,…

Describes a project which involved designing a nine-week course utilizing computer assisted instruction (CAI) to teach seventh graders critical thinking skills. Results indicate measurable gains were made in the critical thinking skills of verbal analogy and inductive/deductive reasoning, although no consistent gains were made in logical reasoning…

Designed to assist those teachers without a technical background, CAI TOOLKIT was developed to help with computer-assisted language instruction programs. By giving commands in English, the system, consisting of six tools, has been greatly simplified for learning. In addition, the graphic capabilities of the system have been found to work well with…

Discusses the potential of microcomputers for accomplishing educational goals beyond drill and practice software. Describes a program in which students have access to a computer-based network that connects classrooms in four states, which allows peer response, develops a sense of audience, and gives students greater control over their literacy…

Six articles discuss the role of computers in family life and gifted education. Papers address the importance of computer technology approaches for developing and implementing computer programs, applications for independent thinking and problem-solving skills with gifted children, word processing with gifted primary students, and use of color…

Describes how teachers can use computer programs to combine the systematic coverage of a writing class with the individualization of a writing workshop. (MM)

A study was conducted to determine the efficacy of computer-based simulation versus observation in a laboratory nursery school. Results indicate students in the computer-based simulation were better able to observe and record descriptions of child behavior in the video tape sequence after training than students in the control group who received…

Students using a computer to check their answers to an exercise involving a public health problem found that it was programmed to give instant feedback tailored to their individual learning needs. The author concludes that the computer can serve as a sensitive educational tool for teaching theoretical concepts and their logical application to a…

This paper shares findings from a formative evaluation that explores a professional development program, Intel[R] Teach to the Future Workshop on Interactive Thinking Tools. The Workshop trains K-12 teachers how to use online tools with their students, which are designed to foster higher-order thinking skills, and combine technology and…

This volume gives language teachers, software designers, and researchers who wish to use technology in second or foreign language education the information they need to absorb what has been achieved so far and to make sense of it. It is designed to enable the kind of critical reading of a substantial literature that leads to a balanced and…

The problem of learning programming subjects, especially through distance learning and E-Learning, has been widely reported in literatures. Many attempts have been made to solve these problems. This has led to many new approaches in the techniques of learning of programming. One of the approaches that have been proposed is the use of virtual pair…

The purpose of this study was to determine the proficiency level of teachers at South Plainfield High School (South Plainfield, New Jersey) in the use of word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, and database software. A survey was conducted to evaluate the level of the teachers' personal technological background, staff centered technology,…

We explore how 13 year-olds construct meanings around the notion of curvature in their classroom while working with software that combines symbolic notation to construct geometrical figures with dynamic manipulation of variable. The ideas of curve as intrinsic dynamic construction, and curve as object with properties related to its positioning on…

A person-centered model of instruction has been developed for use in designing instruction in virtual, Web-based environments. This model, based on the work of Carl Rogers, attempts to address several issues raised in the literature regarding: (1) the changing role of instructors and students; (2) the broadening of the notion of learning outcomes;…

This book brings together a selection of articles published in "The American Journal of Distance Education" that are related to Web-based delivery of distance education. Articles include: "Performance and Perceptions of Distance Learners in Cyberspace" (Peter Navarro and Judy Shoemaker); "Distance Education for Dentists: Improving the Quality of…