Shows Teachers, Administrators & Parents How to Introduce Microcomputers to Children in Grades K-12 Using Computer-Assisted Instruction

This monograph for teachers addresses two emerging areas in the computing field--providing inservice training in microcomputer use for the general teaching population, and integrating the use of microcomputers into the overall curriculum. A brief discussion of why computers should be used in the classroom introduces five chapters which provide overviews of the following topics: (1) the use of computers in teaching and learning (areas of computer use and using the computer as a teaching/learning tool); (2) types of software available for schools (computer-assisted instruction software, applications software, and databases); (3) integrating computers into the classroom; (4) developing a plan for using computers in the classroom (setting up a classroom computer center and working with only one computer in the classroom); and (5) evaluating educational software (general questions, questions about instructional design, and questions about physical characteristics of the program). A concluding statement argues that the key to continued growth and expansion in the educational computing field lies with classroom teachers and urges them to take an interest in computers and begin to use this important new tool in their classrooms. A 71-item reference list concludes the document. (EW)

Addressing the role of computers in learning and the means of integrating and applying computer technology into the curriculum, this text emphasizes all the important basic topics related to technology in education. There is coverage of multimedia/hypermedia, designing lesson plans, and how to evaluate and choose software, all supported by numerous forms and charts.

The purpose of this book is to help teachers feel at ease with microcomputers so that they will begin to think of computers as tools that they themselves might use. There are four chapters. The first chapter provides basic information to help a user understand the computer. Discussed are how the computer is put together and how it works. To help teachers generate ideas about how this new educational aid might be useful in terms of their own teaching objectives, the second chapter describes why and how other educators are using the computer. Chapter 3 is an introduction to software evaluation, i.e., how computer programs that are available for use in the classroom can be judged. Criteria are presented. It is suggested that teachers using computer-assisted instruction should have a feel for some of the broader issues related to computers in education, as well as practical knowledge. The purpose of the fourth chapter, which deals with social and educational issues and directions, is to provide a perspective about these broader issues and a context into which teachers might place their own activities. Most of the book's readings provide a bibliography of references and further resources. In addition, a list of resources available through the ERIC system is provided. (RM)