Common assumptions concerning the impact of computers on society fail to recognize the complexity of the social settings into which computer technology is introduced or the roles computer applications play in those settings. This paper identifies common ways of conceptualizing computing and points out their weaknesses. The author then discusses…

If computers are to be used creatively in education, they should be made available to administrators, teachers, and students. Educational Data Processing (EDP) is a means to this end. Small and poor systems can join in cooperative county, state or regional computer systems efforts such as the New England Educational Data Systems (NEEDS) in whose…

In this chapter, the authors take a broad perspective on how to analyze issues of technology and equity for youth in the United States. They begin with "access" as a starting point, but consider not only whether diverse groups of youth have digital media available to them but also how that access is supported or constrained by…

This is the second publication from the Office of Technology Assessment's assessment on information technology and research, which was requested by the House Committee on Science and Technology and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. The first background paper, "High Performance Computing & Networking for…

The first volume of a two-volume computer science curriculum guide, reflecting the technology of the mid-1980s, presents 61 lessons on advanced computer literacy topics for high school students. The majority of the lessons focus on advanced programming skills in BASIC. Other topics covered include word processing, printers, document management,…

Presents a simple matrix that is used for budgeting the machine time, people, and equipment necessary to maintain and enhance administrative systems as well as to develop new systems in an organized fashion. (Author)

The thirteenth in a series of profiles documenting experiences with the use of instructional technology describes how computer usage has come to be a routine activity among the students and faculty of Dartmouth College. (Author/MLF)

A simulated chemistry experiment which has been programmed is described in detail. (Author)

Article describes an approach which employs a structuring of the user's conceptual reference spaces into sets of "action primitives", peculiar to the type of computer-aided task involved. (Author)

A pictorial description of the functions of Education Resources Information Center (ERIC). (HB)

A simulated chemistry experiment which has been programmed is described in detail. (Author)

This paper is concerned with providing automatically generated online explanations to the user of a user interface or "tool" about what the interface can and cannot do, and what parameters or options are available or required with a given command. The COUSIN interface system, developed at Carnegie-Mellon, supplies a cooperative…

A process model to explain bugs produced by novices early in a programming course are presented. (The term "bug" refers to an error in a person's behavior, particularly an error in a computer program they have written.) The model is motivated by interviews of novice programmers solving simple programming problems. The key idea is that…