Computers and education

ACM Sigcue Outlook, 1983

Reading & Writing Quarterly, 2003

Kim is a 14-year-old middle school student with a sincere interest in technology and a knack for taking computers apart and reassembling them. She wants to pursue a career in computer engineering, taking technologyrelated coursework in high school and continuing at a technical college. However, Kim reads at the third-grade level, and the high school course in computer engineering technology requires students to read material written at the 14th-grade level, take notes during class discussions, generalize information from reading to hands-on tasks with computers, remember a large number of new vocabulary words, solve computer engineering problems, and take multiple-choice and performance-based tests. Students like Kim will not succeed in information technology coursework and careers, even if computer support specialists are ranked first in predicted wage and employment growth over the next ten years (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2001). Despite the recent downturn in the economy, many Issues in Technology is edited by Ernest Balajthy. Prospective contributions should be 3 to 5 double-spaced pages prepared according to the guidelines set forth in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (4th ed., 1994). Contributors should submit a paper copy, accompanied by a PC or Macintosh disk copy, to

1994

1976

This publication discusses computer education for teachers, reports:the results of a nationwide survey on what teacher training institutions are doing about computer education, and looks into computer education trends in American school districts. Additionally, results are briefly discussed of a national survey of superintendents' attitudes concerning the role of the computer in the classroom and the training of teachers using computers for instruction. An annotated bibliography on the use of computers in education is included. (DT) * PSTNE C. BAKER Justine C. Baker, a mathematics teacher, is the vice president of the University of Pennsylvania chapter of Phi Delta Kappa. Mrs. Baker earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Immaculata College, a master's degree in mathematics from Villanova University, and a master's degree in mathematics education from the University of Pennsylvania. She has assisted in preparing mathematics books from the middle school level through the undergraduate college level and is the author of Fastback 58, The Computer in the School. Mrs. Baker is a member of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the Mathematical Association of America, the American Educational Research Association, and the Association for Computing Machinery and its special interest groupComputer Uses in Education. In addition, she has recently been elected to the Board of Governors of Immaculata College Alumnae Association. Series Editor, Donald W Robinson COMPUTERS IN THE CURRICULUM

Writing Center Journal

Theory Into Practice, 1990

Computers in Human Behavior, 1985

A meta-analysis of 32 comparative studies showed that computer-based education has generally had positive effects on the achievement of elementary school pupils. These effects have been different, however, for programs of @line computer-managed instruction (CMI) and for interactive computer-assisted instruction (CAI). The average effect in 28 studies of CAI programs was an increase in pupil achievement scores of O. 47 standard deviations, or from the 50th to the 68th percentile. The average effect in four studies of CMI programs, however, was an increase in scores of only O. 07 standard deviations. Study features were not significantly related to study outcomes. Computers are fast becoming an important factor in elementary school teaching. The number of computers in American elementary schools has increased by a factor of at least 10 during this decade, and the majority of schools now own them (Becker, 1983). The use of computers in teaching is nonetheless a difficult subject to bring into focus. Researchers and developers disagree on some of the basic issues. Even the terminology in the area is open to dispute. The acronym CAI is often used, but it is variously interpreted as standing for computer-assisted instruction, computer-aided instruction, computer-augmented instruction, or computer-administered instruction. Other terms used in the area are computer-managed instruction, computerbased learning, and computer-based instruction. Computer-based education, or CBE, is becoming increasingly popular as a generic term for the area because it encompasses a broad spectrum of computer applications (Hall, 1982). Researchers also differ in their opinions on the best way to subdivide the area. Early taxonomies of CBE usually distinguished between four uses of the computer in teaching (Atkinson, 1969; Watson, 1972): (a) In drill-and-practice applications, the teacher presents lessons to pupils by conventional means, and the The material in this report is based upon work supported by a grant from the Exxon Education Foundation. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Exxon Education Foundation. The authors thank David Shwalb and Jolie Spring for their invaluable assistance in locating studies for the report.

Computer-based education should be based on an educational theory and measurable in its effects. To be considered a theory, the effects are measurable and the theory should be capable of reproduction. A new learning theory related to computer-based education was proposed in the year 1984. This theory was different as it was based on a perceived error by B.F. Skinner (1958). There was a resistance to the theory from academia as many educators based their personal pedagogy on the research of B.F. Skinner's Operant Conditioning. The use of branching (Crowder, 1959) presented options to the learner. This article reintroduces a 1984 learning theory which has a basis with both B.F. Skinner and N.A. Crowder in that it incorporated elements of both but differed in its concept with the inclusion of prior knowledge as a basis of all learning theories.

Chronaki, A. 2000. Computers in Classrooms: Learners and Teachers in new Roles. In B. Moon, M. Ben-Peretz, and S. Brown (eds.) Routledge International Companion to Education. Routledge. London (pp. 558-572) , 2000

HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), 2000

Computational Media and New Literacies-The Very Idea Literacy in the conventional sense of being able to read and write is both highly valued and commonplace in contemporary society. Although almost everything else-especially values-seems to be in dispute, no one questions the importance of reading and writing as foundational skills. Of course, there is plenty of disagreement about exactly what constitutes literacy and how we should go about bringing up children to become literate. Still, not even the most extremist politicians can expect to win converts by cheering the latest study that shows college students can neither string two sentences together coherently nor read a map. Because the social value of literacy is so important to this book, it is worth taking a few moments to evoke a more lively sense of the multiple