Technical Education Research Centers of Cambridge, Mass., is looking for teachers who use innovative computer software rather than traditional drill-and-practice to teach learning-disabled or emotionally disturbed elementary, middle, and junior high-school students.
The search is part of a research and training project, funded by the U.S. Education Department, called “Microcomputers in Special Education: Beyond Drill and Practice.”
The center’s findings will appear in a handbook for educators.
To participate in the survey, write to Peggy Kapisovsky at terc Special Needs Center, 1696 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, Mass. 02138, or call (617) 547-0430.
An anonymous donor’s gift will reportedly make Harlem’s Mahalia Jackson School the first in New York City to have a computer in every classroom.
“As far as we know, we’ll be the first,” said Constance D. Wingate, principal of the school, also known as P.S. 123. “We’re extremely excited about what this is going to mean to our educational program.”
The $18,480 donation will increase the total number of computers in the school from 10 to 32.
The National Center for Research in Vocational Education, housed at Ohio State University, is offering several new publications dealing with computers in education.
“Microcomputer Courseware Evaluation: Form and Guide for Vocational and Technical Education” includes an evaluation form that helps educators select the best courseware.
“Word Processing: A Guide to Program Planning” includes worksheets that assist in the design and use of word-processing training programs, the assessment of curriculum priorities, and the selection of equipment and software.
Other publications include “Updating Teachers for Tomorrow’s Technology: A Strategy for Action,” “Education and Training for a Technological World,” and “Literacy for a Technological World.”
For prices and information, call toll-free (800) 848-4815.
In the Soviet Union, ideological and technological problems have impeded the introduction of personal computers into society, but “recent events point to the [country’s] modest participation in the personal computer revolution.”
So write David Needle and Alexander Besher in the Nov. 12 issue of InfoWorld. The authors note that in September, the Soviets announced that they had begun a 15-year program to teach students how to use Soviet-made personal computers, called “Agats.”
According to the authors, however, the Soviet Union’s primary application of high technology is in sophisticated military and defense systems.
“While Agats are being introduced in a few Soviet schools,” they write, “personal computers are likely to remain a mystery to most Soviet citizens."--lck
