This paper summarizes information about using computer hardware and software to aid in making purchase decisions that are based on user needs. The two major options in hardware are IBM-compatible machines and the Apple Macintosh line. The three basic software applications include word processing, database management, and spreadsheet applications.…

This book is designed to provide a quick introduction to LinkWay (one of a new generation of hypermedia programs) for teachers who are familiar with other computer applications, but who may not have worked with hypermedia applications. The book serves as a tutorial that quickly introduces the basic elements of LinkWay, thereby making more…

Uses of the computer to support the development of writing skills was examined in a computer-intensive educational context, the Apple Classroom of Tomorrow (ACOT). Subjects were 55 sixth-grade minority students, 25 of whom were ACOT participants and the remainder members of a matched control group attending the same school. Computer-based writing…

This guide provides an introduction to the use of microcomputers with qualitative data. It is deliberately non-specific and rudimentary in order to be of maximum benefit to the widest possible audience of beginning microcomputer users who wish to analyze their data using software that is not specifically designed for qualitative data analysis. The…

The paper describes three strategies featuring a microcomputer to promote the integration and acceptance of students with disabilities among their nondisabled peers. The first strategy is a cross-age tutoring program in which disabled, learning disabled, emotionally disabled, or mildly retarded students demonstrate computer use to nondisabled…

Idea processors are computer programs that can aid the user in creating outlines by allowing the user to move, reorder, renumber, expand upon, or delete entries with a push of a button. The question is whether these programs are useful and should be offered to students. Theoretically, an idea processor prioritizes ideas by placing them in a…

A study was conducted at Skyline College (California) to identify the career planning skills needed by word processing students; to select career planning concepts appropriate for the four semesters of the college's word processing program; to match the career planning skills with appropriate secretarial courses; and to develop career infusion…

In the absence of appropriate instruction, word processing programs in general and stylistic analysis programs in particular can reinforce the unproductive revision strategies of inexperienced student writers. For example, the predilection of inexperienced writers to see text as parts (words) rather than as whole (communication) can be reinforced…

A program evaluation was undertaken at Southern Illinois University (Carbondale) to assess the broad, measurable effects of using computers to teach introductory college composition. Twenty-four classes were studied--twelve control classes and twelve experimental--with the experimental computer classes meeting in the lab for half of their…

Changes affecting the delivery of information over the next 10 years are going to be more numerous, farther reaching, and more rapid than those experienced in the last 10 years. Technological, legislative, economic, and sociological factors are all playing vital roles in shaping the environment within which database information services operate.…

This survey of the literature provides a review and synthesis of research findings and current thought on the use of microcomputers by school children. Modes of learning and taxonomies of learning are described, and the results of recent surveys indicating the number of computers in schools and the amount of access by students are reported.…

As educators become more interested in the use of qualitative methods, a major concern is the management of the large amounts of textual data during analysis. The efficiency and possibly the effectiveness of manual systems, i.e., color-coded index cards and wall-mounted systems, are reduced as the amount of textual data increases. An emerging…

An observational study examined computer writers' use of hard copy for reading. The study begins with a description, based on interviews, of four kinds of reading problems encountered by writers using word processing; formatting, proofreading, reorganizing, and critical reading ("getting a sense of the text"). Subjects, six freshmen…

This paper explores three components of academic computing--programming, productivity tools, and computer-based education--by reviewing the past, evaluating the present, and considering the future possibilities of the field. It is suggested that the future growth of academic computing depends upon the resolution of a number of issues: (1)…

This guide discusses how a computer can motivate students, how it can be used as a support for the writing process, and how it can help teachers reinforce good writing habits. The guide includes sections on managing the classroom computer; student scheduling; human resources; introducing the computer; learning editor commands; managing student…