Telecommunications can provide stimulating and cost effective options for enlivening the curriculum in language arts, math, science, and social studies. Hardware and software requirements are discussed, and a resource list provided. A three week telecommunications demonstration project involving U.S. and Canadian students is also described. (IAH)

Muppet Slate, a writing program used on Apple computers, is described, along with its successful integration into a kindergarten language arts program. Students can write original stories illustrated with a choice of 126 pictures. Utilities enable teachers to customize the program to meet student needs. (IAH)

Describes and evaluates three software programs for elementary level language arts: (1) "The Princess and the Pea," which connects the fairy tale with the modern world; (2) "PreWrite, Level 1," which helps students identify and develop writing topics; and (3) "Dinosaur Days," a creative graphics and publishing program with speech capabilities. (MM)

Discusses wire capture programs (computer programs which gather and process wire services such as the Associated Press or United Press) for computer labs in journalism departments. Describes details of such programs for Macintosh, IBM, and IBM clones. (SR)

Discusses ways to integrate computers effectively into the freshman English course. Addresses some objections to using computers in the composition classroom. (MM)

Provides a listing of available World Wide Web sites relating to adolescent literature. Aims to be neither evaluative nor comprehensive but rather to illustrate the available range and variety of Internet options open to scholars, teachers, students, and librarians. (TB)

Describes the curriculum, philosophic perspectives, and student products related to teaching Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and landscape planning by examining a college course in the GIS and landscape instructional area taught at the University of Michigan. (JRH)

Describes studies designed to examine the instrumentation used to assess both graphing abilities and the impact of microcomputer-based laboratories (MBL) on students' graphing abilities. Results suggest that numerous disparities between the results of multiple-choice and free response instruments. The analysis also revealed that the impact of MBL…

Describes the use of a spreadsheet in running a hands-on prey/predator simulation that enables students to see the effect of selection pressure on one allele in a gene pool. Discusses setting up and running the simulation, class discussion issues, exploring assumptions, and extensions. (JRH)

Presents mathematics problems which use technology for exploring and verifying relationships among data sets; comparing and analyzing effects of changes in parameters of mathematical models; simulating complex, expensive, or dangerous events using probability models based on random outcomes; and graphically or numerically zooming in on apparent…

Describes methods for creating integrated multimedia documents using recent advances in print, audio, and video digitization that bring added usefulness to computers as data acquisition, processing, and presentation tools. Discusses advantages of digital documentation. (JRH)

The Internet, a network of computer networks, is leading the way to the information superhighway. Explains the basic features and various ways to get hooked up to the Internet. (MLF)

Measuring technologies' interactivity in a classroom depends on gaging the level of student interactivity desired. It's not how many buttons students can push, but whether educators can use the technology to spark thoughtfulness and interaction. Three software products (two in math and one in geography) are rated as highly interactive. (MLH)

Discusses children's use of spreadsheets and the access that this gives to the instantaneous production of a variety of graphs. (10 references) (MKR)

Introduces some basic concepts on which expert systems are based. Considers how expert systems might be productively applied in education. Describes an experimental expert system with applications in reading diagnosis and teacher training. (SR)