This document consists of the 1996 issues of CompuKids, a bimonthly publication designed to assist children and their parents and teachers in getting the most out of using computers. The publication includes descriptions of available software, tips on hardware, and adaptations for Macintosh and IBM/Windows products. Regular features include: (1)…

This overview of available technologies and how they can be used in teaching languages is divided into three sections. The first, "Multimedia Inputs," examines digitized multimedia tools and their role in language courses, electronic books, encyclopedias and dictionaries, and games, and takes a closer look at "unimedia"…

Use of educational games to supplement traditional classroom lectures is purported by some researchers to increase interest, motivation, and retention, as well as to improve higher order thinking and reasoning skills. This paper reviews proposed benefits of using games as cognitive tools, and discusses the complexities of assessing those benefits.…

This book provides basic information and answers to help guide educators in developing an effective and meaningful educational computing program. Throughout the book appear boxed definitions pertinent to the text, examples of useful products, and necessary contact information. The guide includes the following sections: (1)…

"Zero to Three" is a single-focus bulletin of the National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families providing insight from multiple disciplines on the development of infants, toddlers, and their families. Noting that America's babies and toddlers live in a world full of television sets, VCRs, computers, videogames, and interactive…

Video and computer games have assumed a prominent role in the culture of U.S. children and adolescents. The paper examines the health effects of these games, suggests criteria upon which parents and teachers may evaluate the games, and notes some implications for health educators. (SM)

Explores elements of game design: entertainment, fantasy, nonthreatening reality, objectives, rules, opposition, hazards, outcomes; a rationale for using games in courseware; advantages of World Wide Web Instructional gaming: asynchronous learning opportunities, process data gathering, real-time interaction across geographically dispersed…

Discussion of the use of microcomputers by special education students highlights a study that compared the effects of a drill and practice program with an instructional computer game on the acquisition of multiplication skills among junior high and high school learning disabled students. (22 references) (LRW)

Presents an alternative model for using the computer as an aid in teaching mathematics. Highlights include a mathematics teaching model; computer software for drill and practice, tutorials, simulation, games, and computer managed instruction; integrating computers into the mathematics curriculum; and examples of computer activities for…

Considers the value and success of computer based marketing simulations from the standpoint of both instructors and participants. Distinctions are drawn between simulations and games; applications in higher education in the United Kingdom are described; future possibilities are suggested; and hidden costs in adopting new innovations are examined.…

Two studies to determine how students interact with two microworlds that reflect a constructivist view of learning investigated students' goals during interaction, strategies utilized to achieve their goals, changes in goals during interaction, and common patterns of interaction and learning. Concludes that well-designed games enable students to…

Discusses girls' use of computers and examines why they are often discouraged and lose interest. Topics addressed include the issue of gender; gender bias in computer games; use of the Internet; exposure to technology; girls' preferences; educational reform; choosing software; technology programs for girls; all-girl classrooms; and role models.…

System-initiated adaptive advice and learner-requested nonadaptive background information were investigated in computer simulation game experiments with 64 seventh graders, 38 college students, and 80 seventh and eighth graders in Germany. Results are discussed in terms of theories of problem solving, intelligence, memory, and information…

Describes KID DESIGNER, a project that emphasizes play as a lifelong learning process by teaching elementary school students how to design their own educational computer games that embed content from subjects studied in the classroom. Topics include constructivism; cooperative learning; project-based activities; prior learning; group dynamics; and…

The reopening of a middle school in San Diego, California, provided a testing ground for a unique collaborative effort between the school faculty, a university department, and Apple Computer Corporation. The desire to infuse technology and cultural awareness across the curriculum led to the development of an interactive "microworld" game…