Abstracts of seven selected papers from the 7th Annual Microcomputers in Education Conference are presented. Papers are included on microcomputer-based labs, teaching science with robots, microcomputer software, problem solving, computer integrated math activities, and computer assisted mathematics. (RH)

Contains annotations for resources on the history of computing. Includes resources for technical computing history, general computing history, precomputer era, the impact of computing and series. (CW)

Presents three specific examples of chemical engineering problems which can be interactively solved on personal computers with commercially available software. Illustrates the potential impact of interactive problem solving on chemical engineering. Discusses how this has been accomplished at Ben Gurion University (Israel) and the University of…

Discusses computer editing and describes the capacities and features of an integrated software package, Writer's Workbench. Suggests ways in which this program can be used to improve writing skills. Reviews the effects of this program on technical users, college students, and high school students. (ML)

Reviews the use of microcomputers by students and faculty at Reed College, Stanford University, Carnegie Mellon, Drexel University, and Brown University. Types of computers provided and software developed on each campus are described, and a business developed to promote the distribution of software between colleges--the Academic Courseware…

With the advent of the Internet and computer technology, today's students enjoy access to every part of the globe. Communications that once took weeks are now instantaneous. This is a far different world from the one most school administrators grew up in and, in most cases, it is an area where the knowledge of students far exceeds that of…

This paper analyses a case study of a pair of students working together, who were asked to produce conjectures and to validate them within the dynamic geometry environment Cabri. Our aim is to scrutinize the students' reasoning, how the gap from perception to theory is filled, how Cabri influences the reasoning. We have singled out a sequence of…

Computer systems that support collaboration among students are not easily adopted in mathematics education. A possible reason for this is that the computer is rarely the students' preferred writing tool in mathematics. This paper investigates the writing processes of two research mathematicians, and tries to understand what parts of the…

The College of Education at Valdosta State University (Georgia) developed a followup course to their required entry-level educational computing course. The introductory course covers word processing, spreadsheet, database, presentation, Internet, electronic mail, and operating system software and basic computer concepts. Students expressed a need…

This paper describes two uses of the Microsoft Access relational database software in the Wake County (North Carolina) public schools: first, to track data on students involved in the Student Support Team (SST) Process; and second, to handle the legal and procedural due process steps that occur after a student has been suspended from school. The…

The Virtual U Project is a simulation product created to help improve the management of the nation's university systems. Virtual U simulates running a university or college and assists management in allocating resources within the university. It is a powerful and user-friendly software tool that models the attitudes and behaviors of an academic…

This paper discusses the use of technology in gifted students' curriculum, methods that have been successfully used in classrooms, and the wealth of technological resources available to both the teacher and student. The paper describes how technology has been used to teach science, art, and enhance other subjects. Internet Web sites and various…

Prospective employers and external accreditation agencies today expect preservice teachers to fully document their success in a teacher education program. Missouri Western State College (MWSC) moved from the "scrapbook" portfolio to the World Wide Web delivered electronic portfolio in three years. This paper explains why MWSC chose to…

Discusses the Geographic Information System (GIS) which can display information from a database in a geo-referenced map, the speed with which it can correlate many layers of information, the varied angles it can provide, and other images that it can rotate and transform. States benefits for the classroom including interdisciplinary applications…

Reports on a project in which children develop instructional technology skills while learning a great deal of science. Explains how children construct a multimedia presentation on the topic of invertebrates. (DDR)