This study, conducted at six southern universities, analyzed the validity and reliability of a researcher developed instrument designed to evaluate educational software in secondary mathematics. The instrument called the Instrument for Software Evaluation for Educators uses measurement scales, presents a summary section of the evaluation, and…

Results of surveys conducted to determine the present situation and trends in the use of computers in Japanese elementary and lower and upper secondary schools are summarized. Much of the data quoted comes from surveys by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement and the Ministry of Education, Science, and Culture…

This study examined ways in which microcomputers are used in schools and the complex issues that surround their implementation. Three fictional geographically distinct school districts with a diversity of microcomputer applications at both the elementary and secondary levels were studied: Salerno, a large southern city; Granite, a midwestern city;…

This paper on the application of principles to computer-assisted language learning (CALL) first clarifies the the relationships between the capabilities of the computer (and computer-controlled technology) and the main approaches to second language learning. Fourteen common types of CALL programs are briefly reviewed. A "relational" classification…

This report reviews software packages for Apple Macintosh and Apple II computers available to secondary schools to teach computer-aided drafting (CAD). Products for the report were gathered through reviews of CAD periodicals, computers in education periodicals, advertisements, and teacher recommendations. The first section lists the primary…

Four major education and training markets for multimedia products are: (1) industrial training; (2) management and professional education; (3) medicine and the health sciences; and (4) formal education, including public, higher and adult education. The industrial training market refers to the development of nonmanagerial, technical, and…

Two issues of this list (February and March 1990) contain reviews of courseware for kindergarten through grade 12. Entries are classified by subject or application, i.e., communication skills, math, science, social studies, health, and utility software. Information on each software package includes the title, publisher, copyright data, price,…

Four issues of this list (April, May, June, and July 1990) contain reviews of courseware for kindergarten through grade 12. Entries are classified by subject or application, i.e., communication skills, math, science, social studies, health, and utility software. Information on each software package includes title, publisher, copyright date, price,…

A project was conducted to develop two evaluation designs for computer-assisted instructional (CAI) packages used in the remediation of basic skills in Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) programs. Information was gathered from a literature review identifying principal factors and issues germane to the evaluation design; site visits, interviews,…

This paper argues that teachers and students should be creators as well as consumers of computer software, not only so that they might better appreciate the skills involved, but also to improve teacher effectiveness in the classroom. As part of their own class work, 13 second-year student teachers developed a branching program using simple basic…

Karl Marx's theory of stages can be applied to computer use in the schools. The first stage, the P Stage, comprises the entry of the computer into the school. Computer use at this stage is personal and tends to center around one personality. Social studies teachers are seldom among this select few. The second stage of computer use, the D Stage, is…

This investigation of the effect of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) on the performance of elementary students in the area of language arts skills compared the performance of students receiving CAI with that of students receiving only regular classroom instruction. Two software programs were created for use in the study. Word Breaker, designed…

An examination of the value of using more sophisticated computer programs in the language arts program led to the design and development of "Thinking Networks," which provide the teacher with a new tool for teaching through nonverbal representation. Using microcomputers to improve reading and writing instruction can incorporate the…

This paper describes GUIDON-WATCH, a graphic interface that uses multiple windows and a mouse to allow a student to browse a knowledge base and view reasoning processes during diagnostic problem solving. The GUIDON project at Stanford University is investigating how knowledge-based systems can provide the basis for teaching programs, and this…

This courseware evaluation rates the "Safety Measures with Communicable Diseases" program developed by Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon. (This program--not contained in this document--is designed to teach means of preventing the spread of communicable respiratory diseases and ways of protecting oneself.) Part A describes the program in…