Question and answer column about the CD ROM medium discusses: (1) optical storage devices available; (2) language teaching applications; (3) types of courseware available; (4) costs to hook up a CD ROM drive as a peripheral to an existing system; (5) how to go about developing and mastering a disk; and (6) mastering and replication costs.…

Describes a study that examined the effects of various computer reinforcement responses, including graphics and/or sound, on students' attentiveness to the program. Implications for educational software design are discussed. (CLB)

Describes Datamondo, an instructional package that introduces the use of a newspaper database in humanities teaching at the secondary level in Italy. The effectiveness of the package in developing basic linguistic skills and as a research tool is evaluated. (8 references) (Author/CLB)

Presents a model for instructional software design as a collaborative effort involving computer scientists and educators, which stresses the process of design through documentation. The documentation used to exchange information at each phase of the process is described, and the advantages of this model are discussed. (CLB)

Description of Atenea, the Spanish National Project for Computers in Education, focuses on the use of computer simulation and modeling in elementary and secondary education. Highlights include system dynamics, training courses for teachers, a microcomputer-based software package called System Dynamics Simulator for Education (SDSE), and a list of…

Describes Philips Interactive Laser Vision Authoring System (PHILVAS), a special-purpose authoring system designed to prepare programs for controlling interactive video systems. Ease of authoring with PHILVAS is illustrated by a case study and comparisons with two other dialog programing tools. Advantages of PHILVAS are listed. (MBR)

Explains the computer-based modeling "language" of Structural Thinking and Experiential Learning Laboratory with Animation (STELLA) and its applications to environmental education. Describes STELLA's interactive capabilities through an example of a program on predator-prey interactions. Recommends the use of STELLA for clarification of…

The need to include an audio component in computer-assisted instruction in French is discussed and an attempted solution is described in terms of a suite of programs designed to facilitate the creation and use of dictation practice materials. (Author/SED)

This paper reports on case studies of computer use in an elementary bilingual classroom, a secondary special education classroom, and an introductory adult literacy classroom. Findings, in terms of software, instructor, and student-related problems, are discussed. (Author/MT)

Describes a survey of members of the Educational Software Evaluation Consortium that resulted in a ranked list of 22 criteria used in preparing their annual software preview guide. Noting that content and pedagogical concerns received the highest rankings, the report offers five recommendations for future software development, evaluation, and…

Language arts skills and writing projects can be combined with activities that teach the fundamentals of word processing to improve the language arts curriculum. Suggested lessons cover five writing and editing operations common to most word processing software. (DF)

Develops generalizations for empirical evaluation of software based upon suitability of several research designs--pretest posttest control group, single-group pretest posttest, nonequivalent control group, time series, and regression discontinuity--to type of software being evaluated, and on circumstances under which evaluation is conducted. (MBR)

Discusses the uses of the computer and how it is changing society. In the classroom computers teach new skills and can provide instructional microworlds and minilaboratories in which students carry out experiments. Includes suggestions for preparing written assignments and an outline for a course on preparing teachers for using computers. (MD)

Analyzes various kinds of student reactions to computer-assisted instruction. Types of computer exercises are discussed, as are the use and integration of courseware into a college foreign language program. (Author/SED)

Discussion of intelligent computer assisted learning (CAL) systems considers both those that offer natural language communication to the user and those that are adaptive, generative, or self-improving. Current interest in student-built learning environments (exemplified by work with LOGO and PROLOG) is examined, and obstacles to future intelligent…