The current status and apparent trends of local area networks (LANs) in school districts are explored in this short report. Results of a 1987-88 Quality Education Data survey are cited, indicating that 64% of 173 of the largest school districts in the country were already networking and 36% intended to be networking by 1990. The advantages of…

This personal account of the development of computer-based learning from the 1960s to the present argues that the 1960s were a period of gestation. Instructional applications of computers at that time included efforts to simulate physics experiments and the debut of the PLATO system, which already had the ability to deliver interactive instruction…

One of nine brief guides for special educators on using computer technology, this guide focuses on the selection of software for use in the special education classroom. Four types of software used for computer assisted instruction are briefly described: tutorials; drill and practice; educational games; and simulations. The increasing use of tool…

This curriculum guide is designed to assist teachers and supervisors in introducing lower elementary students to the MS DOS computer and the word processing program PC Write. Accompanying this guide are two program disks: PC Write, which is a public domain word processing program and Disk Care, which reinforces rules for caring for disks. The…

In keeping with current Department of Defense policies on integrated diagnostics and a reduced reliance on paper-based documentation, the concept of a portable, expert-system-based job aid and training device was proposed to assist inexperienced electronics maintenance technicians in learning to maintain sophisticated equipment. A prototype was…

A study was conducted to determine microcomputer hardware, software, and inservice components of secondary marketing education programs. A questionnaire was developed and sent to 420 teacher-coordinators in 42 states. A total of 225 (54 percent) usable returns were tabulated at the University of Wisconsin-Stout Computer Center. Results of the…

While college reading programs have lagged behind public school systems in the procurement of computers, a move toward using computers to provide at least part of the instruction in postsecondary reading programs seems to be gaining momentum. With the abundance of software on the market, lab personnel need a categorization scheme to use while…

In 1984, summer bridge students in the Indiana University Learning Skills Center were asked to complete an open-ended questionnaire on PLATO computer assisted instruction (CAI) used in their study skills courses. Of 226 students responding to the survey, 175 (77%) had chosen to use PLATO; 86 students used both the psychology and sociology review…

Statistical evaluation indicated the effectiveness of 10 software packages used in a 3-year project to improve the reading and language skills of Limited English Proficient (LEP) Native American students. The project was implemented in four Rapid City (South Dakota) schools in which 79% of the Lakota (Sioux) Indian students (grades 3-6) were found…

In the area of composition, computer assisted instruction (CAI) must move beyond the limited concerns of the current-traditional rhetoric to address the larger issues of writing, become process-centered, and involve active writing rather than answering multiple-choice questions. Researchers cite four major types of interactive CAI, the last of…

Two papers describe the roles of the Software Development Group (SDG) and the Software Review Center (SRC) at Drexel University. The first paper covers the primary role of the SDG, which is designed to assist Drexel faculty with the technical design and programming of courseware for the Apple Macintosh microcomputer; the relationship of the SDG…

Many people are interested in computer aids to rhetorical invention and want to know how to evaluate an invention aid, what the criteria are for a good one, and how to assess the trade-offs involved in buying one product or another. The frame of reference for this evaluation is an "old paradigm," which treats the computer as if it were…

The eight articles in this focused journal issue explore the part computer literacy and computer programed instruction can play in the language arts curriculum. Titles of the articles are (1) "Computers in English Instruction: The Dream And The Reality" (James R. Nicholl); (2) "Computer Uses in the Elementary Grades" (Robert Morgan); (3) "Reading…

Proceedings from a June 1984 sympoisum on special education technology are presented in this document. A background paper on "Technology Trends in Special Education" (C. Blaschke) deals with microcomputer use, telecommunicaton systems, videodiscs communication aids and adaptive devices, and makes projections for instructional and…

The first goal of this research project was to demonstrate the use of computer assisted video instruction (CAVI) for teaching mildly handicapped students school to community transition skills. Two CAVI learning modules were developed on asking for help and budgeting. The first includes eight lessons focusing on questions of why, when, who, what,…