Three groups of college students operated under different contingencies in the same classroom. The Programmed Achievement (PA) condition required students to show 100 percent mastery on 12 chapter quizzes, at the risk of grade loss. Control students took quizzes with no requirement for mastery, and a group of low achievers tried both methods. The…

Discusses the need for and the problems with teaching keyboarding to elementary school students, and the types of software necessary for meaningful instruction. (JC)

Discusses revision as a growth-through-change process occurring continuously through all stages of drafting. Describes several ways in which word processing facilitates invention, substitution, reordering, adding, cutting and other aspects of this kind of composing. Offers guidelines for using computers in the writing classroom. (JG)

Describes a project that evaluated students' attitudes and achievement when working with CAL (computer-assisted learning) lessons designed using the Coursewriter authoring system. A second concern was the efficiency and effectiveness of the authoring system itself. Project results are presented along with a discussion of the lesson design. (CT)

Presents objections to the use of special-purpose computer languages for authoring courseware and recommends use of authoring procedures with a general-purpose language (in this case PASCAL). Highlights include problems in designing computer assisted instruction, developments in educational theory, a summary of modern authoring languages, and…

Discusses the problems of teaching very young students to keyboard well enough to use a computer effectively in composition. Suggests that there is sufficient software to teach keyboarding as young as the fourth grade, and that teachers who have typing skills can teach keyboarding to their students. (JC)

Reports on a study that investigated whether computer-assisted instruction is as effective and efficient as teacher-only instruction in helping children with severe learning difficulties master a basic sight vocabulary. Concludes that children can significantly improve their sight vocabulary with minimal daily individual instruction and that the…

Lists and annotates recent textbooks in the areas of teaching theory and practice, fiction, poetry, drama, and computers and media. Also lists source and course books and reference books. (FL)

The claim that computer simulation exercises provide an excellent source of speaking practice is considered by examining the properties of computer simulations from a theoretical point of view and by describing the experience of using a particular simulation in a general English as a foreign language classroom. (Author/SED)

Discusses two computer programs designed for third-year university-level Spanish composition classes. The programs are based on the process model of composing and consist of pre-writing, writing, and revision. (SED)

Discusses similarities and differences in the use of puppets and computers as teaching tools in the classroom. Teachers' resistance to puppets is discussed, and four new puppet programs are described. (LRW)

Students could learn more efficiently if educational goals were clarified, each student was permitted to advance at his or her own rate, and instructional materials were designed to encourage motivation, not fear of punishment. The technology and pedagogical knowledge exist to effect these changes, but teacher training is misdirected. (KH)

Emphasizes that although computer technology opens the door to great possibilities for teaching language, it will only be as powerful as the programs developed to go with the machines. Since the language lab remains one of the principal tools in foreign language education, it is hoped that computer assisted instruction will reflect back onto tape…

Discusses factors to consider when buying software for a computer-assisted foreign language program. These factors include (1) software functions, (2) software distribution, (3) software language, and (4) after-sale support. (SED)

Reviews the structure of intelligent computer assisted instruction (ICAI) systems, gives some examples of such systems, and discusses their relative strengths and weaknesses. Four references are listed. (MBR)