Education and Computing最新文献

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether teacher trainees in the third year of their university studies are more open to innovation and change in instructional methods, such as Computer Assisted Instruction (cai) and Computer Assisted Learning (cal), than their first year counterparts. The students all participated in courses on teaching innovation, with special emphasis on the use of information technology. First year students participated in an introductory course and third year students took two advanced courses.

Results of the study indicate that no significant improvement in students' attitudes to the use of computers—the vehicle for innovation and change—was achieved, despite the participation of third year students in courses designed to promote change. It may be concluded that teacher training institutions need to implement modifications in their coursework in order to promote positive attitudes toward innovation and significant change in the instructional process.

For some time I have nurtured a curiosity regarding the effects of technology on early art development. As my opportunities increased for observing and then influencing the learning process, I found myself addicted to the excitement of technology, specifically in the area of art education. I can now draw on information gathered from three professional experiences: elementary school teacher (K-8), project director of an Equity Project entitled “Encouraging Female Students in Math and Science through Art and Technology” and Artist in Residence with the San Bernardino Arts Foundation.

As in any project, the real measure of success is the accomplishment of the students. Students' growth in the areas of art curriculum, use of related art vocabulary, choice of methods selected for completing a task, utilization of thinking skills, application of art principles, and the increased productivity of personal expression, is evidenced in their impressive collection of art files: printed, on disk, and on video. It is my intent to share these files, along with related anecdotal records, and to detail some of the instructional processes that accompany the use of technology in the classroom.

Information Technology and computer science have not only reshaped computation, communication and commerce; they have expanded the basic models and paradigms of many disciplines. Informatics education has obligations to all the communities that rely on information technology, not just the computing professionals. Serving this extended audience well requires changes in the content and presentation of computing curricula. This paper sketches the coming needs for information processing and analyzes the populations that will require informatics education. It considers curriculum requirements through two examples, one outside the traditional boundary of computer science and one inside.

A report of the classroom activity which supports the research undertaken by Toni Downes, University of Western Sydney, on databases in the elementary school. The report targets the period 1989–90, covering such areas as selection of software; maintenance of student ownership in investigations; student familiarisation with new software and hardware; gathering real data; use of database and printing facility; classroom climate and teacher comments on the use of databases.

This paper outlines why artificial intelligence (ai) topics should assume a more prominent rôle in the discipline of computing science. Moreover, an argument is presented for considering ai as the cultural foundation for computing science. Key ai topics are discussed, as well as the importance of the laboratory component. Emphasis is placed on what could be done in the laboratory and in courses “outside” the ai course to reinforce the central concepts. A proposal is made that, given the importance of this material, the core topics should be required for students in mathematics, science and engineering, in addition to those in computing science.

Funding was obtained in 1989 to develop a pilot elective in 1990 within the Graduate Diploma of Computer Education at The University of Melbourne. Entitled “Designing Educational Software”, the elective takes advantage of new authoring tools and multimedia facilities to introduce teachers to the philosophies and practicalities of developing software for the classroom.

This in itself is not innovative. However, the elective will be not only offered to teachers enrolled in the Graduate Diploma but to trainers from industry as well, particularly those involved in Computer Based Training. cbt is a career path for teachers that has not yet been exploited and at the same time, the cbt industry reports skills shortages. The elective has been designed in co-operation with the cbt industry.

A second aim of the course is to expose industry trainers to the educational philosophies behind school level software. From the interaction of schoolteachers and industry trainers, we shall attempt to develop broader models of cbt than the ones currently embraced by the training industry. Likewise, the development of school software should benefit from exposure to the more sophisticated facilities available in industry.

The pilot is continuing in 1991 and the teachers will be joined by a smaller number of enrolments from the training industry. By 1992, the percentage of teachers to industry trainers will be 50/50.

It is claimed that there should be a difference between education at the university level and that in a trade school. The student at the academic level should receive training in analyzing and abstraction in addition to building. Yet theoretical knowledge must be applied and should lead to clearer and neater designs. Another important goal is to learn to distinguish the essentials from the “bells and whistles,” genuine needs from toys. The conclusion is that it may be hard to design a reliable and effective system, but it is even harder to design one that others will want to use.

This paper describes a teacher training model in which microcomputers are integrated into the classroom using a learning center format. The rationale is based on an understanding of the characteristics of the learner. The discussion focuses on a teacher training model developed and tested in ten sites across the United States. The model includes a two day introductory workshop, follow up clinical supervision, additional support strategies, and periodic evaluation by the teachers and the trainers.

Informatics in West Germany is now accepted as one of the most important fields of engineering, as well as of fundamental research. The discipline, as well as the curriculum, developed evolutionarily from mathematics and electrical engineering, but has assimilated ideas from many other fields and has an interdisciplinary tendency, covering a wide spectrum from mathematical theory and philosophical background to hardware construction and concrete applications. The historical development of informatics curricula at West German universities is briefly sketched by describing the two recommendations given in 1969 and 1985 by scientific societies. In addition, some personal remarks on courses given for beginners and for students in the second phase are made. Also, some comments on job opportunities for informaticians in West Germany are given.