DOCUMENT RESUME ED 234 741 IR 010 807 AUTHOR Edwards, Judith B.; And Others TITLE Computer Applications in Instruction: A Teacher's Guide to Selection and Use INSTITUTION Northwest Regional Educational Lab., Portland, Oreg.; State Univ. of New York, Albany. Research Foundation. SPONS AGENCY National Inst. of Education (DREW), Washington, D.C.; National Science Foundation, Washington, D.C. REPORT NO ISBN-0-89466-280-5 PUB DATE 78 CONTRACT PES-7309325 NOTE 220p.; Foreword by Richard Otte. PUB TYPE Collected Works..- General (020) -- Guides - Non-Classroom Use (055) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC09 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Computer Assisted Instruction; *Computer Programs; Elementary Secondary Education;'Evaluation Criteria; Input Output Devices; *Media Selection; *Programed Instructional Materials; Programing; *Programing Languages IDENTIFIERS *Computer Uses in Education ABSTRACT Intended for upper elementary and secondary teachers in all subject areas, this guide provides- practical advice on \determining the appropriate application of computer technology and on the selection of specific, subject-related computer-based instruction units. Under the heading of hardware and software, topics discussed include communicating with a computer, computer size, getting and using user's programs, translators and programming languages, and the elements of a program. The computer is analyzed in terms of its uses as instructor, laboratory, calculator, object of instruction, and instructor's aide. The selection of computer-based instructional units is described from the beginning of the selection process through final decision making. Individual papers then focus on uses of the computer in the following specific areas: art education, business education, instruction for the deaf and hard of hearing, elementary school, language arts, mathematics curriculum and instruction, music education, physical education, secondary science, natural science, and the social sciences. "Keys to Recognizing General Purpose Languages," and some primary sources of eomputer-based instructional units, are appended. (L* t) **********************************************************%************ Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made froWthe original document. *********************************************************************** U.S. DEPASTSIENOE EDUCATION NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION EDUCATIONAL_RES_OURCES.INFORMATION -MPUTER CENTeR IERIC) This document as been reproduced as received from the person or organization originatZng it Minor.changes have been made to =Wave, PPLICATIONS iePrOduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this docu do riot necessarily represent official NIE position Or policy. ? IN INSTRUCTION: i. eN1 A Teachers Guide to SelettiOri and Use Judith B. Edwards Antoinette S. Ellis Duane E Richardson Donald Holznagel Daniel Klassen Foreword by Richard Otte Project Officer Technologjcal Applications Division National InStitate Of Education Director, Computer Technology Program Judith B. Edwards Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory a 710 S.W. Second Avenue Portland, Oregon 97204 A Houghton-Mifflin Company Hanover, New Hampshire 03766 "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE IRIS MA TERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY M. Margaret Rogers TO THE EDU_CATIONAL RESOURCES rI INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)" N Some of the materials incorporated into this work were developed with the financial si:-.::port of the National Science Foundation, Grant PES-7309325 to the Research Foundation of State University of New York. The grant was entitled Development of Computer- Sinulation materials and was_under the dhection of Dr: Ludwig Braun; Professor of Electrical and System Engineering; State University of New York at Stony Brook. Copyright C) 1978 by Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory. Published by Time Share Corporation, Hanover, New Hamp- 011ie 01755: All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher. Copyright is claimed until September 1, 1983. Thereafter all portions of this work covered by this copyright will be in the public domain. This work was developed under a grant and contracts with the National Institute of Education, U.S. Department of HeWth, EduT cation and Welfare. However, the content does not necessarily reflect the position or policy of that Agency, and no official endorsement of these materials should be inferred. ISBN: 0-89466-280-5 iv CONTENTS I.THE ESSENTIALS OF HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE To tlie User A Computer System: Hardware + Software 2 Modes of Communicating with a Computer 5 The Hardware of Communication 9 The Question of Computer Size 12 Getting and Using User's Programs 14 Translators and Programming Languages 16 The Elements of a Program 22 Where is the. Program? 29 II.INSTRUCTIONAL USES OF THE COMPUTER Introduction: The Versatile Computer 32 The Computer as Instructor 34 The Computer as Laboratory 39 The Computer as Calculator 61 The Computer as an Object of Instruction 63 The Computer as Instructor's Aide 65 III. SELECTING COM UTER-BASED INSTRUCTIONAL UNITS Selecting Computer-Bas d Materials: Some Basics 74 &ginning the Selection Process 77 The Final Decision 89 Making the Final Decision 103 IV. READINGS IN COMPUTER IN THE CURRICULUM Introduction to Computers in the Curriculum 109 Computers in Art Education 112 Computers in the Business Education Curriculum 116 Computers in Instruction for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing 121 Computers in the Elementary School 126 Compuiers in Language Arts 133 Computers in the Mathematics Curriculum 140 Computers in Mathematics InstruCtion, 145 Computers in Music Education 152 Computers in Physical Education 157 Computers in Secondary Science 162 Computers in the Natural Science Curriculum 170 Computers in the Social Sciences 176 vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Computers in the Social Studies 179 Computers in Vocational Agriculture 183 APPENDIX I: Keys to Recognizing General Purpose Languages 188 APPENDIX II:Some Primary Sources of Computer-Based Instructional Units 203 FOREWORD The role of the classroom teaches becomes increasingly demanding and complex as we understand more about how people learn and as tested technologies become ,available. Learning is a highly individual experience, an active rather than a passive act, with the learner seeking the information, the structure, and experiences, and the means he or she may need to understand and internalize new inform,ation. It is increasingly important that students be provided with a Vanety of instruc- tional resources that incorporate multiple learning styles and modes of interaction. This multi- plicity of resources increases the probability of a match between what is available and what the learner is seeking. The computer provides a variety of instructional strategies and delivery modes,: and can be a useful and exciting means for expanding learning opportunities. The cost of education increases daily. At the same time, the cost of computer technology has continued to drop dramatically. In fact; complete "home computers" offer programs ranging from arithmetic tutoring and biorhythm charts to simulated science lab experiments and com- puter based games such as Star Trek. These computers are broadly available for modest costs that are usually less than the cost of color TV sets. The implications for education are intriguing. In five years, the same computer capability will undoubtedly be notebook-sizeor smaller like hand `calculators are today. The challenge to the classroom teacher who anticipates the utility of such technology is to become familiar with it and to learn to incorporate it effectively in his or her subject matter areas. How can teachers determine which of the many instructional units available are appro- priate and useful for their students to experience? This book deals with these concerns. It is intended for upper elementary and secondary teachers in all subject areas. It provides a practical guide to determining the appropriate applica- tion of computer technology and to the selection of specific subject-related computer based in- struction units. The leader will become acquainted with the rudiments of computer hardware; computer programming languages, the different roles the computer can play in instruction, and how the computer can he used in several different curriculum areas for evaluating and selecting application units for instruction. Development of this book by the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, was spon- sored by the National Institute of Education as a part of its continuing commitment to the sponsoring of research that results in the improvement of education through the application of modern technology. Richard B. Otte Education Technology Specialit National Institute of Education Yu THE ESSENTIALS OF HARDWARE . AND SOFTWARE. A COMPUTER SYSTEM: HARDWARE + SOFTWARE TO THE USER The two basic components of any computer system are the computer's physical equipment and the computer programs. The physical equipment is hardware and the programs are software. Hardware As illustrated in Figure 1 -1, the main pieces of hardware in a computer system are: INPUT/OUTPUT DEVICE COMPUTER AUXILIARY STORAGE DEVICE The input/output device, or terminal (commonly a teletypewriter, as pictured in FigureI-1) is used for communicating with the computer; both to input information and to receive informa- tion the computer prints out. The computer itself (called the Cential Pirocessing Unit, or CPU) is often located some distance from the input/output