The late 1980s saw the emergence of a new genre of instructional media, "edutainment", which utilized the capabilities of multimedia personal computers to animate software designed to both educate and entertain young children. This paper describes the production of, marketing of and play with edutainment software as a contemporary example of…

The purpose of this study is to find out perceptions of the trainee teachers on the efficacy of the SchoolDNA learning management system. The 17-item questionnaire was designed to find out the perceptions of trainee teachers on two aspects of the system. The first aspect covers the perceptions on the features of the SchoolDNA and Lesson Builder…

Recent research studies have reported on how novices and experts differ in storing, organizing, and retrieving subject matter knowledge and on how they apply their knowledge to solve new problems. These findings have been integrated and implemented in a computer environment to help novices improve their problem-solving skills. An outline of this…

Computers offer the teacher a tool for instruction in the Social Studies that allow students to be motivated, learn social skills, attain moral ideals, develop thinking skills, and acquire knowledge easily. The findings of this review suggest that the software selected for classroom use must reflect the desired educational goals and that the…

This paper presents the results of an evaluation of CHOICES, a career information system developed by the Canada Employment and Immigration Commission, and implemented in Canada Employment Centers (CECs). Two instruments were designed for this evaluation: a questionnaire for clients who had just used CHOICES, and one for counselors who work with…

The Exstatix statistical analysis software package by K. C. Killion for use with Macintosh computers is evaluated. In evaluating the package, the framework developed by C. J. Ansorge et al. (1986) was used. This framework encompasses features such as transportability of files, compatibility of files with other Macintosh software, and ability to…

Next to playing, matching instructional features with children's characteristics may stimulate children's development in early education. Instructional lines of ordered playing and learning appliances, inclusion of diagnostic and achievement indicators, flexible grouping of students, screening of initial student characteristics, and supportive…

Librarians everywhere are struggling with the difficult issue of whether Internet content can or should be limited in library settings. This book discusses Internet content filters as tools with performance issues. The book does not debate whether Internet filters are good or bad. Rather, it presents basic factual information about filtering…

The number and range of instructional resources in mathematics and science education can be overwhelming to educators. The chief mission of The Eisenhower National Clearinghouse for Mathematics and Science Education (ENC) is to help educators sort through the confusion by identifying relevant resources such as print materials, software, kits, and…

This report describes a detailed, multi-site evaluation of ConStatS, a curricular software package for helping students conceptualize introductory statistics. ConStatS employs a novel approach for forcing students into an active, experimental style of learning. This evaluation allowed an assessment of the degree to which curricular software helps…

This paper addresses the lack of evaluative resources for computer-assisted reading and writing instruction (CARWI). It begins by discussing the benefits, drawbacks, and effectiveness of computer-based instruction. It then describes types of CARWI packages, including: (1) writing process software; (2) electronic handbooks; (3) interactive…

This article is a primer for educators hoping to choose instructional software for their classrooms. The following four basic principles that all quality educational software has in common are discussed: (1) an adherence to learning theory, including behavioral and cognitive theory; (2) employment of gaming features; (3) culturally sensitive…

A General Accounting Office (GAO) study evaluated the Bureau of Indian Affairs' (BIA) new facilities management information system (FMIS). Specifically, the study examined whether the new FMIS addresses the old system's weaknesses and meets BIA's management needs, whether BIA has finished validating the accuracy of data transferred from the old…

This paper is a report on the types of online delivery applications used in institutions of higher education (IHEs) to develop and implement World Wide Web-based courses. Many IHEs are grappling with ways to implement and manage online instruction by using local personnel and resources, purchasing some components of management, or outsourcing…

Describes several exemplars of software that emulate and incorporate machine-supported aspects of cognitive apprenticeships in science and mathematics. Concludes with an evaluation of software against cognitively guided principles and with a summary of the difficulties associated with creating and implementing machine-supported apprenticeships.…