Indicates that although computer science has been free of male domination, the stereotype of computers as male machines is emerging with increasing growth in microcomputer use by children. Factors that account for this development and some strategies teachers can adopt to equalize computer use by boys and girls are presented. (MBR)

One of three publications of the Research on Equitable Access to Technology (REAT) project, this practitioner's handbook is designed to assist educators in the design and implementation of computer instruction programs for underserved groups of students, including low-income, minority, low-achieving, limited-English speaking, female, and rural…

One of three publications of the Research on Equitable Access to Technology project, this paper provides a literature review of the issues surrounding the provision of equitable access to computers for all children. Both the extent and types of inequities are explored, including hardware and software issues, and language and sex inequities. The…

Equitable distribution of computer resources is an important concern for school administrators. Computer equity consists of three dimensions: access, participation, and benefits. Access is the number of microcomputers available for student use, or the ratio of students to computers; equity issues arise when access to computers is restricted to…

If computers were used ideally in education, each student would have enough computer time, each computer enough student time, and computer-based activities would be chosen well. The move towards using microcomputers in the schools has less to do with any clear and demonstrable instructional advantage of using them, and more to do with general…

Focusing on use of the computer as an object of instruction, this paper provides a rationale for teaching computer literacy and explores a variety of definitions for the term. Also discussed are various curriculum approaches that are being developed to teach computer literacy content, which include teaching the content in a separate course and the…

Although problems exist in using microcomputers with young children, there are many reasons teachers should encourage the use of microcomputers in early childhood classrooms. Teachers with only one microcomputer can employ the computer as a learning center to be used independently by two children at a time. Using computers in early childhood…

Computer equity is the equal opportunity for each individual to use a computer and learn the same subjects at the same level. Every community has some aspect of computer inequity, be it based on gender, income level, race, age, academic achievement, geography, or subject matter. The community activist who wants to promote equal access to computers…

Summarizes findings of Computer Equity Training Project studies concerning female presence in computer magazines; home computer use variability by sex; student software evaluation; and influence on computer use of teacher gender, gender of other computer users, and work environment. Successful classroom computer equity approaches based on these…

Discusses wealth, community size, region of the country, gender, and race as factors in access to microcomputer training in secondary schools in the United States, and presents statistics from various state and national surveys which indicate these variables do play a determining role in computer literacy. (MBR)

Discusses rapid changes in use of computers and related technologies in colleges and universities; the impact of current inequities in precollege access and use of computers experienced by African-American, Hispanic, and American Indian students; and strategies and recommendations to enhance the computer competence of minority students in colleges…

A survey of computer usage in 179 randomly selected public elementary and secondary schools in Louisiana was conducted in the spring of 1988. School principals responded to questions about school size, the socioeconomic status of the student population, the number of teachers certified in computer literacy and computer science, and the number of…

Three studies give evidence to support informal reports of sex differences in computer access, interest, and use in the school-aged population. In the first study, a survey of 87 middle and upper income students in grades 5 to 8 revealed that more boys than girls owned home microcomputers and that use of the home computer also differed by gender.…

This examination of important trends in the field of computing and education identifies and discusses four key computer literacy goals for educators as well as obstacles facing educators concerned with computer literacy. Nine references are listed. (Author/MBR)

A key element in the completion of study by off-campus students is support during their learning. The nature of off-campus study renders nearly impossible the face-to-face contact which provides expansion of lecture material, direct answers to problems, guidance on procedures, and immediate responses to learning difficulties. Electronic mail…