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Computing in Schools / - DOCUMENT RESUME, ED 246 860 IR 011 192 AUTHOR Anderson, Jonathan TITLE Computing in. Schools: An 4ustralian Perspective. Australian Education Review Ntitber 21. INSTITUTION Australian Council for Educational Research, Hawthorn. REPORT NO ISBN-0-85563-358-1 PUB DATE 84 NOTE 111p. *, AVAILABLE FROMDistribution Services Division, Austialian Council for Educational Research Limited, P.O. Box 210, Hawthorn, irictoria,_Australia 3122'. PUB TYPE Information Analyses (070) -- Reports - Descriptive (141) EDRS PRICB MF01 Plus Postage. PCNot Availablefrom.EIJRS. DESCRIPTORS Case Studies; *Computer Assisted-Instruction; *Computer Liter'apy; tomputer Managed Instruction; *Computer Oriented Programs; Foreign Cduntries;- *Mickocomputers; *Models; National Programs; Program Descriptions.; State PrograMs ''IDENTIFIERS *Australia; Comiliter Uses in Education; France;, United Kingdom; United States - ABSTRACT 4 Educational applications of computing are reviewed, ,beginning with a brief introduction to microcomputers and microcomputer characteristics that might be important for schoolUse, An examination of significant models in computer-educationoutside Australia emphasizes projects in the United Kingdom, France, and the United States; including the National Midroelectronics Programsin i England and Scotland, the British. DEC Computer Literacy Project,the/ 10,000 Microcomputers in School Operation in, France, and the Minnesota Educational Computing Cbnsortium. Recent developments at / both the state and national levels in Australia are thendescribed./ A look at the varied applications.of computers in Australian classrooms, is followed by case studies of a range of programs, including / projects concerned with computer awareness teacher support material, computer studies at the upper secondary level, microcomputer in/ the primary school, computer - based learning in clinics and clasirooms, a school computerized administration system, a statewide computer network, and educational applications of videotOc. Aconcludirig chapter outlines.some emerging issues-in computer educationOr Australian schopls.,A seven-page .reference list is included./(LMM) ,,4 ************************p******************************************k*e * * I Reproductionssupplied by EDRS.are the best that/can be made * * 1 from the original document. / **************************.*********************************************i 4 s ,- InPAgymiNT air WA/A.110N i',0134nmigaioN TO-110144--64 TH184 , NATIONAL ISTITUTE OF EDUCATION , MATERIAL IN ; MIgRaFicHE ONLY:= .:EDUCATIONA RESOURCES INFORMATION .HAS BEEN GRANTED aY ENTER IERICI : nt.. Imo hoop loprailLiced oil 00 received from the Nilson or otaanisallani :originating It . :r1;oMls of view or opinions staled in this (low most do not nacessaoly tomato official To THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES'' position or policy. _ :INFORMATION CENTER(mo),t, V ILL1 AUSTRALIAN EDUCATION REVIEW Corn pOti tigin Schools An AdsteOliarl. Pervieptiire), Jonathan Anderson USTRALIAN-C UNCIL FOR EDUCATIO AL RESEARCH PUblialted by The Australian Council for Educational Roam° lt,Limited 'Radford Homo, Frederick,tract, 1-114fItorti, Victoria 3122' TYposet dirhot frqm Vans cilskotte to Itok 4posottor at MC ACER. Printed and bound by Brown Prior 4ntldrson ,Pty Ltd 5 Evans Street, Buivocid, Victorra '3125 , Cover design by Louise,Coutts ,e. National Library of Au'stralia Cataloguing-in-Publication data, ...; Anderpn, Jonathan, 1939 -- Computing in schools. Bibliography. ISBN 0 8556358 1. 1. Computer managed instruction. 2. Computer-assisted , instruction. 3. Microcomputers. 4. gduclition-A AustraliaData procesiinc.5. Microcouiputers Study and teachingAustralia. I. Australian Council for Educational Research. II. Title. (Series:, Australian education, review; no. 21). 371.3'9445 Copyright © ACER 1984 Note on the Author Dr Jonathan Anderson B.A., M.Ed.(Qld), Ph.D., Dip.Comp:Sc.(NE), MAC,S, FACE has been Professor of Education at The Flinders University of South Australia since 1973. He taught in Queensland from 1961-63, was a Tutor at the Remedial Education CentreTrom 19641-66, and a Lecturer at the University of Queensland in' 1966. From 1967-73, he was Lecturer, Senior Liecturer,'then Associate Professor at the University of New England. In 1977, he went tatbe University of Stockholm as Visitini Spencer Fellow, sand during 1981 he worked at The -Open University England. CONTENTS. page, 1 The Impact of PlicroCamputers 1. Challen6e, of the Chip' and;Promise of the Micro ;3. Ch °sing MIcr000mpliters for Schools 4 ture and Soope of RevieW . , . 6 , Str , . , , ,. ,,, SChools Computfng: Overseas'Modela and Influences 7 National Microelectronics Programs In England and ., ,ell . 7 , c. ,.Scotland 1-2. The BBC CompUter. Literacy Project o' 11 InformatiqueComputer Education in France r 14 Computer Literacy Programs, in Sil corf Valley 17 i, Minnesota Educational Computin Consortium 21 3 Schools Computing: The Australl9n Scene 25 'Developments at the Stite Level 25 Developments at the National ,Level 29 The Languages of NticrocOmputers 33 , NI - BASICLiriglifratica of Microcomputers 34' Pascal7A Language' for Teaching Programming 40* LOGOA Language for Learning 41 'AuthoringSystems,and.Languages 48 ---, ' 4 ' ..-... .--..... Uses of ComputersComputers in Schools , 52 Learning about Computers 53 The Computer as Tutor . 54 The Computer as Tool 67 The Computer as Tutee,\ 7.0 Case Studies 72' computer Awareneis Teacher_Suppcih M erial 72 Computer. Studies at the Upper Secondary Level 73 Microcomputers in the Primary School. 74 Computer Based Learning in Clinic 9 dCiassrobm 76 A School Computerized-Administration System 79 A Statewide Computer N_ etwork / 83 Educational Application of Videotex 85 Emerging Otileativea 07 Needs and PriorItleh 00 liflitUO and Approa11 01 Outcomes 02 . I Eydlucition 03 Notes -References Figures `2.1Patterns of .Sohool Computing in Continental Europe , .17 b,1Using a CompLiter'for Writing an Essa9 80: 8.1Miorocom-puter ,1-1Vdwriting Exercises , Graphics Tablet 78 "8.2 Microcomputer Reading Exercises Using Touoh Sentitive,Screen for Prompting "80 '8.3 Computer Generated Report Form". 82 If 8.4 TASNET--,-A Statewide Eduqational Network ?,84 8.6 ,Page of Education:Gazette Received on TV Screens in Videotex Trial Tabjeti 6.1:microcomputers Reconmended by State,* ductitIon Departments in 1983 28 THEIMPACT'OF MICROCOMPUTERS, Challancia of the Chip Little more than ft de nde 00, hand -11010 calculators spelt thedemise of the slide rule, (Mier antaniltiesTh follow were the mathematicaltables used by all students for fipding squares, rqots,reciroaols, logo, and trig atlas:It is a strange irony that an order placed'by a Japanese ealealator rnanufaettor, sot in oration the research that. WAS to .10'ad the Intel Corporation in 1971 to succeed in producing, toll A single chip, the circuitry it ,"perform these arithmetic 4Inctions, And'so.the calculator'. which hitd briefly heralded changes ln mathematics 'teachingIN,in turn, being supplanted by4machines that may change the verynature of the 'educational ,system' (Clarke, quoted in Maddison, 1989:17), The first computer on a 'hip--tha'Altair'microco4taroppeared on the market in kit form ti975, By 1977 companies like cpmmodoso, Vnited,States of Amerlila had produced . .Apple, and Radio Shack their.first models Qf w ct beginning to ,1?e called the personal computer.` Many other co nfeiiAnt9red the.:market in the f011owing year's, fainiliar names like'Atar14,,aelte'xas Instruments in'the, United' States and',. in Britain, Acorrit'.V.akers of Ile BBC and 'Electron. .microcomputersj, Research Machineil Limited, and Sinclair,, In 1981 the largest compute!' company in the world, IBM,entered dukpersonal computer market, which indicated.. the impact.mierqcompliters were haying, the businesS, ed4ation, andhorria 'fieldS. Such was the . contint impact that, in Janufm'Y.1983,. Time magazine' nominated the . newsmall, land 'greatest influenCe for good or eyil' c°711* major fOr the, eding year.' Whak been the impaci'Of the microcomputer in theclaWoom?. Caelli 9), while noting the implicatiSasl:"ddeation of what he called microcomputer revolution, rePorted ho revolutionstaking place in Australian classrooms. Three --ears` r, S,iety(1982a:1) observed that 'the average Australian rooin. Is. still largely--- untouched by the impact of the corn der'. in the use '`af. computers in Schools and infersioR.),,teehnolhyvaccelerate'd in 1,983-84, to, judge from computer d 'vibes at all levels. As is detailed in the chapters w, theCormhonwealth SChools:COmmission (1983a) urge4at cailiputer education is vital to "Australia's Nitro; both major tio litivol parks made pre-cleption prouttses to support the `(Nods011111111441011'tiE00(1111111011(11100111i; policy initiatives on computers in schools were announced 11 Ifferett Status; and major reports were 'published on computer Anion; Computers inaltteenion(Shears and Dale,1183), Csonputor 1*MM/on (South Australia, Tertiary Education Antliorlif 1983)4 Togiihing2Learn* and Computer is(CommonwooliliSghools Commligion,1983b), Other significont eventstilspIndicated ''n quiekening of barest in microolectronie and information teelmologies, 'rho conference of the Computer EducatIon'Oroup of Victoria (CEGV) wIts conducted Its a national conference for thefirst time 111'1983; in the same .year the firSeAuNtrollan Computer Congress was held; Telecom was granted the goTahead tcrestablislt a tuitional videotex systum In 1984; expanded and new regular features on computers commenced In major dally,newspapers;
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