Some ways of producing quality software for language instruction are discussed, including three kinds of systems: authoring or template, freeform, and hybrid. Special features and possible advantages and disadvantages of each type are considered. (Author/MSE)

Presents a case for not using a reading scheme in a reading program. Proposes instead a language experience approach in which children first read written transcriptions of their own oral language and then use a variety of published books. (JL)

Presents a procedure for designing management simulation games in which a series of progressively detailed documents describing the game are prepared until a blueprint of the developed game has been created. The development sequence is described in detail and two tables listing the phases of game documentation accompany the text. (JL)

The author describes and illustrates aids and adaptations for science classes serving severely physically handicapped students. Guidelines are offered on precautions to take, school made aids (such as a trolley), and use of microscopes. (SB)

This literature review deals with the problem of attitudes about computer-assisted instruction (CAI) from the viewpoint of four distinct populations--student, instructor, lesson author, and administrator. Twenty-one references are listed. (Author/MER)

Reviews reasons for the decision to change from a timeshare minicomputer to microcomputers, financial considerations involved, the purchase of hardware, the problem posed by the lack of compatible software for the microcomputers, and the development of the Assisted Instructional Development System (AIDS) for adapting minicomputer software and…

Courseware (computer based curriculum materials) development should follow the lessons learned by software engineers. The most important of 28 principles of software development presented here include a stress on human readability, the importance of early planning and analysis, the need for independent evaluation, and the need to be flexible.…

Some materials are examined which try to cultivate skills and concepts such as estimation, approximation, significant digits, place value, and repeating decimals. Also discussed are repercussions and longer term implications on the use of minicalculators. (MP)

Discussion of the effectiveness of video images in distance education focuses on identifying and designing two-dimensional graphics that will display properly. Offers image design recommendations and discusses format modifications for 35-mm slides, overhead transparencies, printed materials, and computer images. (Author/LRW)

Defines dialogue as a disciplined, consensus-building process of collective communication based on shared values and beliefs. Highlights include the evolutionary history of dialogue; the role of dialogue in building a civil society and in the design of social systems; and the need to develop learning resources in evolutionary inquiry and in the…

Explains the new agreement on Fair Use Guidelines for Educational Multimedia, which provides concrete limits on the types and amounts of material that may be included in multimedia works created by teachers and students. The four tests of fair use that apply to all copyrighted materials in schools are also discussed. (Author/LRW)

Explores issues in designing multimedia for educational purposes including the salience of the voice of the author, the balance between the seductive nature of the medium and the substantive content of the message, and the way in which navigational tools either promote or constrain the learning and teaching of the content. (Author/JRH)

Discusses the introduction of the Language Learning Framework by the National Council of Organizations of Less Commonly Taught Languages (NCOLCTL), which has transformed the perception of the way less commonly taught languages view curricula and instructional materials. Focuses on the development of instructional materials for African languages.…

The article describes a tactile book program sponsored by the Royal Victorian Institute for the Blind in which every primary and secondary school in Victoria (Australia) state produced books with tactual elements. (DB)