The Computer Literacy Act, H.R. 3750 and the National
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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 254 195 IR 011 507 TITLE The Computer Literacy Act,H.R. 3750 and The National Educational Software Act,H.R. 4628. Rearing before the Subcommitteeon Science, Research and Technology of the Committeeon Science and Technology, House of Representatives, Ninety-EighthCongress, Second ;fission, June 5, 1984. No. 107. INSTITUTION ;ongress of the U.S., Washington,D.C. House Committee on Science andTechnology. PUB DATE .1 NOTE 353p. PUB TYPE Legal/Legislative/Regulatory Materials(090) -- Viewpoints (120)-- Reports - Descriptive (141) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC15 Plus Postage. DESC.IPTORS *Access to Education; ComputerAssisted Instruction; *Computer Literacy; Computers;*Computer Software; Federal Legislation; Futures (ofSociety); Hearings; *Policy Formation; Public Policy;*Teacher Education IDENTIFIERS *Computer Uses in Education;Congress 98th ABSTRACT This legislative report offerstestimony and related materials concerning two billsthat-address the issues of the computer in the classroom asan educational tool, access to computers, teacher training, and softwaredevelopment through the establishment of a National ComputerEducational Software Corporation. Testimony of the followingwitnesses is included: Representatives Albert Gore, Jr. (Tennessee),Timothy E. Wirth (Colorado), and Thomas J. Downey (New York);Gary Bauer, Department of Education; Richard S. Nicholson,National Science Foundation;Roy Truby, Council of Chief State SchoolOfficers; Linda Tarr-Whelan, National Education Association;Sue Talley, Apple Computer Corporation; Paul Horwitz, Bolt,Beranek, and Newman, Inc.; Lois Rice, Control Data Corporation;Harry McQuillan, Columbia Broadcasting System, Inc.; SherryTurkie, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Fredrick Jell, Universityof Pittsburgh; and F. James Rutherford, American Association for t.eAdvancement of Science. Additional testimony submitted forthe record includes that of the Association of American Publishers,Inc.; Association of Data Processing Service Organizations;T. H. Bell, Secretary of Education; and George A. Keyworth, Science Advisorto the President. (IJO() *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRSare the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** H.R. 3750, THE COMPUTER LITERACYACT AND H.R. 4628, THE NATIONAL F)UCATIONALSOFT. WARE ACT UAL DEPARTMENT OFEDUCATION NATIOMIL INSTITUTE OFEDUCATION EDUCATIONAL RESOURCESINFORMATION 111I CENTER JEW! II. Ins document nos beenreproduatd se teoleeed hoot the person prorgeneettoe otnertetang1 1 reproductionOgee ehroges have beenmade to improve Quaid! HEARING Ponh 's. view ofopinions MINK, in this dose owe do not necetssomvnommen? officot NIE BEFORE THE Dolt on of poncor SUBCOMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY OF l'AE Ci% 1-41 COMMITTEE ON it1 SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY cu HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES C:3 NINETY-EIGHTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION JUNE 5, 1984 [No. 1071 Printed for the use of the Committee on Science and Technology U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 37-927 0 WASHINGTON : 1984 (-4 COMITITEE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DON FUQUA, Florida. Chairman ROBERT A. ROE, New Jersey LARRY WINN, JR., Kansas GEORGE E. BROWN, JR., California MANUEL LUJAN, Ja., New Mexico JAMES H. SCHRUM, New York ROBERT S. WALKER, Pennsylvania RICHARD L =INGER, New York WILLIAM CARNEY, New York TOM HARKIN, Iowa F. JAMES SMISENBRENNED, Ja., MARILYN LLOYD, Tennessee Wisoonsin DOUG WALGREN, Pennsylvania JUDD GREGG, New Hampshire DAN 3LICKMAN, Kansas RAYMOND J. A:WRATH, New York ALBERT GORE, JR.. Tennessee JOE SKEEN, New Mexico ROBERT A. YOUNG, Missouri CLAUDINE XIINEIDER, Rhode Island HAROLD L. VOLKMER, Missouri BILL LOWERY, California BILL NELSON, Florida ROD CHANDLER, Washington STAN LUNDINE, New York HERBERT H. BATEMAN, Virginia RALPH M. HALL. Texas SHERWOOD L. BOEHLERT, New York DAVE MoCURDY, Oklahoma ALFRED A. (All McCANDLESS, California MERVYN M. DYMALLY, California TOM LEWIS, Florida PAUL SIMON, Illinois NORMAN Y. MINETA. California RICHARD J. DURBIN, Illinois MICHAEL A. ANDREWS, Texas BUDDY MacKAY, Florida TIM VALENTINE, North Carolina HARRY AI RED. Nevada ROBERT G. TORRICELLL New Jersey FREDERICK C. BOUCHER, Virginia Miaow P. HANSON, Ea:endive Director Roams C. Kmmuus, General Counsel SODOM A. DAVIS. Chief Clerk DAVID S. JEWRY, Minority Staff Director Suncosemrrrsz ON SCIDNCE, RKARCH AND Thenwoway DOUG WALGREN,Pennsylvania, Chairman GEORGE E. BROWN, JR., California JUDD GREGG, New Hampshire DAVE McCURDY, Oklahoma SHERWOOD L BOEHLERT, New York MERVYN AIL DYMALLY, California F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER, Ja., NORMAN Y. MLNETA, California Wisconsin BUDDY MacKAY, Florida RAYMOND J. MoGRATH, New York ROBERT G. TORRICELLI, New Jersey JOE SKEEN, New Mexico STAN LUNDINE, New York HERBERT H. BATEMAN, Virginia PAUL SIMON, Illinois RICHARD J. DURBIN, Illinois TIM VALENTINE, North Carolina HARRY AL REID, Nevada FREDERICK C. BOUCHER. Virginia t it) 4 CONTENTS WITNESSES Jane 5, 1984: Peg* Hon. Albert Gore, Jr., Member of Congress fromTennessee 8 Hon. Timothy E. Wirth, Member of Congressfrom Colorado 6 Hon. Thomas J. Downey, Member of Congressfrom New York 13 Gary Bauer, Deputy Under Seczetary forPlanning, Budget, and Evalua- tion, Department of Education 40 Dr. RichardS. Nicholson, Acting Deputy Director,National Science Foundation 55 Dr. Roy Truby, stiwintendent of schools,West Virginia, representing the .1 of State School Officers 80 Dr. Linda Texr-Whelasa, director of Governmentrelations, National Edu- cation Association 101 Sue Talley, education program developmentmanager, Apple Computer Corp 125 Dr. Paul Horwitz, Bolt, Beranek, and Newman,Inc 137 Lois Rice, senior vice president, Control Data Corp 150 HarryMcQuillen, president, CBS Educational and Professional ing, Publish- CBS, In^ 164 Dr.4843.111:2 Turkle, profensor,_program in science,technology, and society, usetts Institute of Technology 253 Dr. Fredrick Bell, professor, mathematics andcomputer education, Uni- versity of Pittsburgh 811 Dr. P. dames Rutherford, chief educationofficer, American Association for the Advancement of Science 320 APPENDIX Additional testimony submitted for the record: Association of American Publishers, Inc Association of Data Processang ServiceOrganizationo 844 Departmental Views on KR. 8750 and H.R. 462E1submitted by T.H. Bell, of Education 347 Views of.R. 4628, National Educational SoftwareAct of 1984, by George A. Keyworth, Science Advisorto the President 849 H.R. 3750, THE COMPUTERLITERACY ACT, AND H.R. 4628,THE NATIONAL EDUCATIONAL SOFTWARE ACT TUESDAY, JUNE 5, 1984 Housz OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMNIFFTEE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, SUE cosirdrrrzz ON SCIENCE, RESEARCHAND TECHNOLOGY, Washington, DC. The subcommittee met,pursuant to call, at 9:45 a.m., inroom 2325, Rayburn House Office Building,Hon. Doug Walgren (chair- man of the subcommittee) presiding. Members present: Mr. Walgren,Mr. Mineta, Mr. Brown, Mr. Valentine, and Mr. Bateman. Mr. WALGREN. Letus come to some kind of general order. Computer technology,as most in this room know, penetrates nearly every nook andcranny of our lives and because the comput- er is a general purpose device for processinginformation, there are few areas of human endeavorwhich cannot be enhanced thro the use of that machine. Whatwe will consider today is use of the computer in the classroomas an instructional tool. According to an October 1988survey, there are about 350,000 microcomputers in use inour schools, suggesting that approximate- ly 54,000 schoolsare now using microcomputers for use in the classroom. However,numerous organizations, individual teachers, administrators and parents,as well as the media, have pointed to the many problems involved withbringing computers to the schools. First, the limitations of theeducational software now available are substautial. Last year, Secretary Bell, in testimonybefore the Investigations and Oversight Subcommitteeof the Science I Technology Committee, characterizedtoday's software as "six electronic page-turning programs."Although progress has made in learning, cognition, andpsychology research, little of the findings have found theirway into commercially available educa- tional products. We are in that sense about_ throughour basic research to find knowledge that will literally explodein the educationalarea through the use of computersin the near future. Second, although our childrenmay be computer whizzes, the other side of that coin is that they havein many cases outpaced their teachers and their parents, andthe problem of keeping teach- ers up with students in this area will be certainlya major chal- lenge to our educational system. Ifwe fail in that, the potential of (1) 2 this new technology certainly will not be realized to the degree that we would hope. There is evidence that the haves are doing better than the have- note, and particularly so when it comes to computers. About 60 per- cent of the poorer schools have no computers at all, whereas some 75 percent of those schools that we would classify as the richest in our society do have access to computers for student use. There is also evidence that poorer schools are more likely to use the computers as simple drill and practice machines instead of in- tegrating them into the broader classroom curriculum. The prob- lem of balance in our system and being sure that each of the stu- dents that come through our society have the maximum opportuni7 ty to develop is one that we should certainly be concerned about. The committee has before