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)

Steps to simplify and evaluate software selection are provided, with specific guidelines for selection criteria. Included are four sample evaluations of educational courseware. (MD)

Presents author's view of how computer graphics produced in the classroom enhance mathematical concepts teaching. Specific concepts and related graphics presented include the convergence of power series and the Central Limit Theorem. Formal versus informal instruction, computer assisted instruction versus teaching, and requirements for future…

Discusses standards developed by the Educational Computer Service of the National Education Association that incorporate technical, educational, and documentation components to guide authors in the development of quality educational software. (Author/MBR)

This book is designed to assist new and practicing teachers with implementing technology into the curriculum. It focuses on the pedagogical issues of technology--using technology as an instructional and management tool and to meet students' needs. Chapter 1 examines technology standards for teachers, how to learn more about computers, and where to…

Increases in the availability of technology, the range of content software, and curriculum via the Internet have placed countless options in the hands of teachers. Similarly, increasing accountability has placed added pressure on teachers to meet stated objectives and ensure student performance. How can teachers optimize available technologies and…

A nationwide search to locate noncommercial instructional software appropriate for students with severe, multiple handicaps found 46 Apple II programs. Common curriculum areas were cause-and-effect training, language and communication, and cognitive development. Authoring programs were common, whereas academic programs were rare. The most typical…

Describes software programs for use by math teachers in elementary and secondary schools that can be used to help develop critical and analytical math skills. Highlights include programs that link mathematics with daily living skills, programs that stress visual representation, and a software "sampler" that includes educational…

Examines computer software currently available with most introductory economics textbooks. Compares what is available with what should be available in order to meet the goal of effectively using the microcomputer to teach economic principles. Recommends 14 specific pedagogical changes that should be made in order to improve current designs. (LS)

Discusses hardware and software used to teach scientific method, ecology, evolution, mitosis and meiosis, photosynthesis, cellular respiration, circulatory and respiratory systems, reproduction and drugs, behavior, and genetics. (MKR)

Presents recent changes in the technology, expansion of courseware, and distribution to other institutions of the interactive videodisc courseware utilized as a significant part of the undergraduate chemistry curriculum at the University of Illinois since 1986. (JJK)

Simple graphing activity helps primary students make the jump from counting concrete objects to understanding abstract symbols. As part of the activity, students vote for their favorite season, then stand up and become a graph of the data they collect. The activity requires the Graph Club Classroom Kit software program. (SM)

Suggests basic elements of spatial education appropriate to geographic information system (GIS) course curricula. Describes the need for integration of GIS education and GIS training. Discusses hardware/software configurations, approaches to the creation of laboratory facilities, and approaches, rationales, and technical considerations in the…

Discusses the technologies of compact discs and laser discs. Describes how they can help teachers in the music classroom. Suggests that the new music computer technology enables students to examine music by listening to it, rather than using notation or other abstraction of the sounds. Suggests ideas for using multimedia for teaching music. (DK)