Presents guidelines and suggestions for the use of computers with young children. Provides a checklist of attributes of good early childhood software and tips for introducing software to young children. (RJC)

Describes how students in a geoscience course are introduced to geographic information systems (GIS), a computer-assisted system for the acquisition, storage, analysis, and display of geographic data, through a practical experience involving collecting data and inputting it into a GIS program called IDRISI. (MKR)

Discusses the use of the Calculus & Mathematica materials, presents an objective assessment of student performance based on a uniform final exam, presents a summary of student perceptions drawn from responses to survey questions, and gives an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the courseware. (19 references) (Author/MKR)

This article reviews technological advances in educational computer use and discusses applications for computers as tools, tutors, and tutees in mathematics education of gifted students. Computer-assisted instruction, artificial intelligence, multimedia, numeric processing, computer-aided design, LOGO, robotics, and hypercard software packages are…

This paper proposes a new way to integrate history of science in science education to promote conceptual change by introducing the notion of historical microworld, which is a computer-based interactive learning environment respecting historic conceptions. In this definition, "interactive" means that the user can act upon the virtual environment by…

Although computers have been used in education for 20 years in the United States and Europe, they have not been widely used in the less developed countries of the world because the initial investment and operational costs of computers have been too high. Should advances in hardware technology continue to reduce such costs, some educational…

The article examines recent literature on the promised benefits of microcomputer application in teaching mildly handicapped students, and analyzes the extent to which research has revealed positive results in eight areas of effective instructional practice (e.g., motivation, self-concept, direct instruction, drill and practice, and writing…

The author discusses issues that should be considered in choosing appropriate software for a specific instructional use. (CH)

This article is a primer for educators hoping to choose instructional software for their classrooms. The following four basic principles that all quality educational software has in common are discussed: (1) an adherence to learning theory, including behavioral and cognitive theory; (2) employment of gaming features; (3) culturally sensitive…

This paper discusses the development and implementation of a computer-based directed study preservice teacher education course. Specifically, it explains the procedures followed to create the ten multimedia CD-ROMs that comprise the course, and how preservice teachers use the CD-ROMs. Topics to be covered include (1) rationale for course creation;…

This paper is a report on the types of online delivery applications used in institutions of higher education (IHEs) to develop and implement World Wide Web-based courses. Many IHEs are grappling with ways to implement and manage online instruction by using local personnel and resources, purchasing some components of management, or outsourcing…

Used a pretest-posttest control group design to study the effects of interactive storybook software on the verbal development of 60 kindergarteners from low income families. Found that, for the 25 children who interacted with the software a minimum of 300 minutes over 7 weeks, there was a significant increase in verbal ability. (Author/KB)

Assesses the OpenCourseWare (OCW) initiative at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, whereby MIT offers free, online access to its course materials. Provides readers with a broader sense of OCW's implications for higher education. Addresses some issues raised in response to the initiative-the role of intellectual property rights, the…

Describes the theory and operation of a computer program which was written to balance chemical equations. Software consists of a compiled file of 46K for use under MS-DOS 2.0 or later on IBM PC or compatible computers. Additional specifications of courseware and availability information are included. (Author/RT)

Describes laboratory-oriented software programs that are short, time-saving, eliminate computational errors, and not found in public domain courseware. Program availability for IBM and Apple microcomputers is included. (RT)