Knowing what different kinds of computer equipment can do is the first step in choosing the computer that is right for you. This digest describes a developmental progression of computer capabilities. First the basic three software programs (word processing, spreadsheets, and database programs) are discussed using examples. Next, an explanation of…

This document consists of the first two years (20 issues) of a newsletter intended for K-12 networking teachers. It provides a forum for the exchange of information for and by the K-12 community about digital networks and networking resources, applications to education, significant events, and major international, national, regional, and state…

The purpose of this study was to examine the use of the Self-Directed Search: Computer Version (SDS:CV) in a university career center's service delivery and research activities. Data were collected from a sample of 180 clients over a 16-month period, using the information provided in the professional summary report of the SDS:CV. Social and…

An ever-increasing number of classrooms are being equipped with computers. This trend began in the early 1970s and the numbers continue to swell at a more rapid pace each year. All facets of the computer world continue to multiply. Issues involving technology in schools will receive more and more attention, if not from internal sources then from…

This study incorporated Internet-based instruction into two education technology courses for preservice teachers. One was a required, undergraduate, beginning-level educational computing course. The other was a graduate, advanced-level computing course. The experiment incorporated Internet-based instruction into course delivery in order to create…

A study investigated whether students had used a microcomputer prior to taking a computer literacy class, which computer languages they knew and used, whether they thought the computer literacy course should be required, and whether they thought the class would help them to secure a teaching position. Undergraduate students at Ball State (Indiana)…

Many popular terms such as software description, software review, software evaluation and lastly software usability used by design, development and evaluation experts in the field. However, such terms used interchangeably by researchers and developers are syntactically and semantically different due to their conceptual backgrounds and the…

For a number of years, authorities in the field of early education have questioned whether computers should be used in classrooms of young children. In response to the controversy surrounding computers and young children, this study investigated directors' reports of the use of computers in Texas child care facilities. Directors of licensed child…

Today it is commonplace that computers and technology permeate almost every aspect of education. In the late 1960s, though, the idea that computers could serve as a catalyst for thinking about the way children learn was a radical concept. In the early 1960s, Seymour Papert joined the faculty of MIT and founded the Artificial Intelligence Lab with…

Issues are discussed that may help school boards become more aware of what instructional technology can and should do for students. The discussion is limited to computers and their relationship to other electronic learning technologies. The issues are organized according to policy and planning, staff, curriculum, equity, and funding. The…

The two components of this document are: (1) a brief position paper; and (2) a related but independent bibliography of references on using computers in reading/writing instruction. The paper presents six recommendations for the intelligent use of computers in the teaching of reading and composition, discussing the guidelines of the International…

This document is the fourth publication in a series devoted to the use of computers in counseling. The outgrowth of the 1986 ERIC/CAPS workshop, it contains four of the major presentations made at the conference. "The Impact of Computers on the Future of Counseling: Boom or Boomerang" (Edwin L. Herr) examines the effect of technology…

Although school district administration has previously been influenced by the introduction and use of larger computers, the microcomputer brought the potential for revolutionizing the principal's job. Many principals may still be unaware of the possible benefits offered by microcomputers or unprepared to capitalize on them. This paper addresses…

Desktop publishing (DTP) is growing increasingly popular in the writing classroom for several reasons. By using DTP, students gain experience in a variety of disciplines--writing, typesetting, graphic design, printing, and computing. DTP represents a revolutionary literacy tool for schools since it encourages students to create and publish…

This newsletter contains 32 abstracts of approximately 1000 words each of papers presented at the 1988 conference of the National Testing Network in Writing. Abstracts, listed with their authors, include "Instructional Directions from Large Scale K-12 Writing Assessments" (C. Chew); "Portfolio Assessment across the Curriculum: Early Conflicts" (C.…