ComputerTowns are local, volunteer organizations providing learning opportunities for interested individuals and fostering computer literacy. ComputerTown Menlo Park is currently being developed (with NSF funding) into a demonstration computer literacy project to disseminate the model to libraries and other institutions. Program…

This manual based on Menlo Park's experiences in participating in a nationwide experimental computer literacy project provides guidelines for the development and management of a ComputerTown. This project, which was begun in September 1981 in the Menlo Park Public Library, concentrates on providing public access to microcomputers through hands-on…

This background paper for a symposium on the school of the future reviews the current instructional applications of computers in the classroom (the computer as a means or the subject of instruction), and suggests strategies that administrators might use to move toward viewing the computer as a productivity tool for students, i.e., its use for word…

The current state of the art on the educational use of microcomputers was explored through a review of the literature, observations, and interviews with teachers and practitioners. A working taxonomy to characterize typical computer-augmented learning environments (CALEs) was developed which consisted of environmental elements, activity segments,…