Computer lessons have become an integral part of many 1985 mathematics textbooks. Various issues related to the emphasis of computer lessons in these books are discussed. A comparative analysis (in chart format) of 10 textbooks is included. Type of lessons, supplementary computer material, and correlated software are among the areas considered.…

Presents preliminary findings from the "Second National Survey of Instructional Uses of School Computers." Areas explored include how many teachers regularly use computers with students, what subjects computer-using teachers teach, who gets to use school computers (boys or girls), and other areas. (JN)

Presents five activities suitable for upper grades but adaptable for lower grades. Activities focus on character shapes, "use" command (Atari Pilot), foreign language programing (Pilot), LOGO aestheometry (creating curved shapes through the intersection of successively drawn straight lines), and stock market transactions using a spreadsheet. (JN)

Presents four teaching activities including: creating sculptures from computer-related items; debugging approach for TRS-80; LOGO parallelograms; and flowcharting techniques. Includes an article ("BASIC Adventures") by Nancy Kuechle focusing on essential commands in creating interactive adventure programs. (JN)

Discusses the use of microcomputers at a middle school in Wayland, Mass., including activities in the computer room and formal computer instruction in grade six. Also discusses rationale for approaches taken, such as working with a variety of microcomputers and computer use in different subject areas. (JN)

Presents five teaching activities for early elementary children, including BASIC multiplication, creating picture using LOGO recursive procedure, and use of commas and semicolons with BASIC. Also discusses flowcharting techniques and cross-age tutoring. Includes "Computing without a Computer" by Evelyn Woldman, discussing use of a programmable toy…

Offers such teaching activities as a one-line program contest, field trips, examining job openings in newspapers, and a writing activity speculating what would happen if robots did not follow Isaac Asimov's "Three Laws of Robotics." Includes "Logo Goes to High School" by E. Paul Goldenberg, discussing problem-solving tasks…

Highlights the advantages of word processors and spelling checkers in improving student writing skills. Explains how spelling checkers work and describes the types of available checkers. Also provides lists of Apple, IBM, and Commodore word processors and checkers. (ML)

Joseph Weizenbaum (author of the computer program ELIZA) discusses his views about educational computing, pointing out why he is not convinced that children below the tenth grade benefit from the introduction of computers into the curriculum, and why larger educational issues must be addressed. (JN)

Suggests having students design a football field (looking at it from above) as the final project of a unit on computer graphics. Includes listings for 13 short Applesoft programs (involving LO- and HI-RES graphics) which students can use in making the field. Advanced students can use the animation techniques. (JN)

Presented is an annotated bibliography of the best of recent children's books (both fiction and nonfiction) about computers. Books for elementary, junior high, and senior high school levels are included. (JN)

Provides activities (and program listings) related to a Mendelian genetics experiment, Tetranacci numbers, and Pascal loops. Also suggests using the computer and spreadsheets to plan the production of a school yearbook. (JN)

Presents activities for language arts, differentiating between a variable name and its value, creating music using PILOT, and playing LOGO games. Includes the article "Take the Turtle to School: A Child's View of Programming" by Jack McLeod. (JN)

Activities for middle/junior high school students are presented, including use of string variables, science lesson ideas, computer scavenger hunt, and guidelines for interviewing people who own/use computers. Includes "I'll Write...Just Lead Me to My Computer" by Robert Engberg, discussing word processing instruction. (JN)

Discusses computer uses in science classrooms, cautioning teachers not to put a "screen" between students and the natural world. Teaching about computers (rather than teaching with computers), teaching students to appreciate computers as tools, and computer strengths are among the topics considered. (JN)