Two perspectives on the language of special needs computing: towards a shared view

This paper reviews and examines the language used in literature that describes the educational and therapeutic use of microcomputers with people who have special needs. In the language of special needs computing two perspectives are identified. One perspective focuses on the microcomputer technology while the other focuses on the microcomputer user. While the language of both perspectives acknowledges the value of microcomputers, each perspective moves towards an acknowledgement that microcomputer use needs to be placed in an environmental context. This move in both language sets reflects an increasing focus on the potential barriers to microcomputer use. <br/

Microcomputers in City Hall: Case Studies of Their Uses and Effects

Microcomputers first appeared on the commercial marketplace in 1976. Since then, an estimated 40 million microcomputers have been sold and more are being sold each day. A survey conducted in 1982 found that 13 percent of American cities owned microcomputers and that 35 percent planned to buy one or more microcomputers within two years (Norris and Webb, 1984). A follow-up survey conducted three years later found that between 75 percent and 90 percent of city governments owned microcomputers (Scoggins, 1986)

The Microcomputer Catalyst

Microcomputer it is a word many of us first heard only a couple of years ago. Yet the technology this word represents holds promise of tremendous change. The changes catalyzed by microcomputing and its associated technologies may alter the fundamental nature of information handling in all its forms. This, of course, means that libraries and information centers will be profoundly affected by this new technology. This paper attempts to indicate some possible directions of the changes prompted by microcomputing technology. However, these ideas are offered only with the disclaimer that technology in this area is developing so rapidly that no one involved in computing can fully understand its implications. Hardware designers and software engineers involved in microcomputing are themselves still attempting to discern the values and possible uses of microcomputers. The only "given" most would agree upon is the recognition that microcomputers will alter the basic manner in which computers are used and viewed in our society.published or submitted for publicatio

Bit by Bit: Microcomputer Applications by Archivists in Four Southeastern States

As archivists in Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Kentucky began to automate in the early 1980s, most found microcomputers much more to their liking than main-frame computer systems or book-oriented network systems. Few archivists in the region were using computers before microcomputers were developed in the mid-1970s. The smaller computers that were marketed during this period allowed users in the region to adapt programs easily to their individual needs at minimum cost. However, the limited capacities of the first microcomputers have pushed archivists, as they move into the 1980s, to buy larger microcomputers or small minicomputers

A Proposal for the Development of a Program of the Use of Microcomputers in the Red Hill School District

In this study the current uses of microcomputers in the classroom were explored through a review of the literature and personal interviews with educators, businessmen, and computer specialists. The current innovations are examined in an effort to anticipate the technical world that students will face in the future. One must anticipate what the future needs will be to develop a program that will help the students to become contributing members of society. This study was specifically conducted to make recommendations for the uses of microcomputers in the Red Hill school district. The report focuses on the different areas of the instructional uses of microcomputers in the classroom. These different areas are: the selection and evaluation of hardware; the selection and evaluation of software; microcomputers and minicomputers; time-sharing and main frame computers; computer literacy; computer programming; drill and practice; tutorial; creative programming; computer-managed instruction; computer-assisted instruction; projected uses in the classroom by subject material; simulations and decision making; games and graphics in the classroom; introduction into the curriculum; telecommunications and their use in education; peripherals that are desirable and necessary; the choice of a supplier; computer equity and students; microcomputer politics and solutions; computer phobia and its solutions; social implications of the microcomputer; are computers cost effective; the hidden costs of microcomputers; the administrator\u27s role in adopting the microcomputer into the curriculum; microcomputers and copyright laws; microcomputers in a rural district; the funding available for microcomputer programs; why computers are not reaching their full potential; new innovations and the future; the resources available at Red Hill; and preventative maintenance and care. From the discussion of these areas, a list of specific recommendations for the instructional use of microcomputers at Red Hill is formed. Following these recommendations, a tentative timetable of adoption is presented

Electronic Information in School Libraries

Microcomputers have progressed from toys to tools in managing school libraries. Equipment inventory, circulation, online catalogs, acquisitions, and serials management/check-in have all been affected. In addition, high technology has presented new possibilities for educating young people, and school librarians are faced with a role change as they rise to meet this challenge.published or submitted for publicatio

Survey of Microcomputer Access by Students with Mild Handicaps in East Central Illinois

This descriptive research was conducted to collect data concerning the accessibility of school microcomputers to students who have been labeled as having a mild (high prevalence) handicapping condition. One hundred thirty nine randomly selected school administrators in East Central Illinois were surveyed to determine the number of microcomputers in their schools and the types of programs that were offered to students with special needs. The schools were divided into seven categories depending on the type and size. Total school enrollment figures were divided by the total number of microcomputers available at the school to determine a student to microcomputer ratio at the school. As 99% of the survey respondents reported seeing students with mild handicaps using microcomputers in the schools, this ratio was considered a measure of accessibility for the purpose of comparison. The findings were that students with mild handicaps had decreased accessibility to microcomputers in their schools by an. average of 8.5 students per microcomputer in the elementary and middle schools. In the high schools, however, students with mild handicaps had increased access to microcomputers by an average of 5.5 students per microcomputer. It was concluded that special education funding for classroom technology is probably concentrated at the secondary level

Microcomputers and the Hotel Executive

Microcomputers are emerging as a potent source for decision- making for hotel management. This article provides the hotel executive with a short course on the possibilities of microcomputers in his or her everyday work

A tool for helping operations research

This paper describes an integrated environment in which a student can acquire and test knowledge about Operations Research techniques. In this environment all the interactions with the users are performed by means of an appropriated graphical interface related to the problem and the algorithm chosen to solve it During a step-by-step problem solving session, the user makes the decisions and lets the system process the necessary computations. Moreover, this environment is able: (i) to check the correctness of the user's replies, (ii) to display warnings every time a wrong decision is taken, and (iii) to return to any previous step in order to give more flexibility to the teacher's exposition. The system is designed to include: Primal Simplex, Dual Simplex, Revised Simplex, Stepping-Stone Method for Transportation Problems, Hungarian Method for Assignment Problems, and Sensitivity Analysis

Utilización de los ordenadores en la enseñanza de las ciencias

The object of this article is to discuss the relevance of the use of microcomputers in science teaching. The authors consider that using microcomputers in order to let students get familiar with the methodological changes they have caused in contemporary scientific-technical activity, could produce radical transformations in science teaching