Ed-Tech Policy

Computers Column

March 16, 1983 2 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Wayne State University last month signed a $181,000 contract with University Camps of America to develop a computer camp that gives children more of the skills that they may eventually need to qualify for computer jobs.

The project--directed, appropriately enough, by an assistant professor of education named John Camp--will result this summer in five boarding-camp sessions in Lapeer, Mich. The cost of the two-week program is $795.

On the camp’s agenda will be courses in computer applications in music, “robotics,” word-processing, problem-solving, and programming.

Mr. Camp said that most computer camps and school programs have stressed programming and games to the exclusion of the more practical management and problem-solving applications.

An official at the Walden School in New York City, which evaluates summer camps, said the school would “tend to recommend the older camps’’ to parents seeking summer computer instruction for their children. ''There are a lot of new camps that are jumping on the bandwagon” that have not fully developed their programs, she said.

More concrete advice comes from the recently published Computer Camp Book. The guide is available for $12.95 plus $2 for handling. Write Computer Camp Book, 8327 Sheridan Lane, Eden Prairie, Minn. 55344.

P. Kenneth Komoski, the executive director of Educational Products Information Exchange, will be the host of a new television show about computers next year.

The half-hour program, which will be broadcast monthly on Public Broadcasting Systems nationwide, will deal with both school and home use of computers. Panels of experts will gather to discuss how each month’s developments in the computer industry affect personal-computer users.

A measure of the swelling demand for computers in schools comes from Pennsylvania.

The state’s education department decided last year to spend $800,000 of its federal block-grant money on projects in high technology. When the application deadline approached last November, state officials said, schools had asked for about $18 million for more than 2,500 projects.

The department eventually added $330,000 to the block-grant money and accepted 208 proposals.

A private software manufacturer received accreditation early this month from the California Department of Public Instruction for a master’s degree program in software engineering.

The Institute for Software Engineering’s program--the only for-profit one of its kind in the U.S.--is designed to train data-processing professionals who are employed in government and industry. Among the topics to be covered: capacity planning, performance analysis, systems programming, systems analysis and design, project management, and applications-performance analysis.--ce

A version of this article appeared in the March 16, 1983 edition of Education Week as Computers Column

Events

Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Privacy & Security Webinar
Navigating Cybersecurity: Securing District Documents and Data
Learn how K-12 districts are addressing the challenges of maintaining a secure tech environment, managing documents and data, automating critical processes, and doing it all with limited resources.
Content provided by Softdocs

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Ed-Tech Policy From Our Research Center Schools Are Taking Too Long to Craft AI Policy. Why That's a Problem
Nearly 8 of every 10 educators say their districts don’t have clear AI policies, according to an EdWeek Research Center survey.
8 min read
A person sits at a computer and tries to figure out a cloud of AI Policy Confusion
Kathleen Fu for Education Week
Ed-Tech Policy The 'Homework Gap' Is About to Get Worse. What Should Schools Do?
The looming expiration of a federal program has districts worried that many students will not have adequate home internet access.
4 min read
A young boy does homework with a tablet at the kitchen table.
Ilona Titova/iStock
Ed-Tech Policy These State Lawmakers Want All School Districts to Craft AI Policies. Will Others Follow?
The vast majority of districts in the country have not released AI guidance, even though educators say they need it.
2 min read
Woman using a computer chatting with an intelligent artificial intelligence.
iStock/Getty
Ed-Tech Policy National Ed-Tech Plan Outlines How Schools Can Tackle 3 Big Digital Inequities
There's great potential for districts to use technology to meet all students' individual learning needs, federal plan suggests.
3 min read
High angle shot of a man assisting his students at computers
iStock/Getty