Computers in Education

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that computers and other microchip-based technologies have earned a permanent place in schools; however, schools lack direction for computer-connected education, with some schools using them only for drill and practice, while others use them to teach keyboarding or programming. The author points out that the use of computers can have a significant effect on how teachers teach because, once students have basic computer competence, they can take more responsibility by working at their own speed and correcting many of their errors on their own . The paper relates that staff development is an important component of any computer program; therefore, the staff must become familiar with new software and new operating systems and must develop teaching skills that are more compatible with the more exploratory way of teaching when using the computer.

Table of Contents
Introduction
Computer Use in Schools
Changes in Education Brought by Computers
Staff Development

From the Paper:

"The use of computers can dovetail nicely with other important movements in education, such as the move toward authentic, hands-on learning rather than the older, more traditional lecture/ textbook/ test style.One author used the example of a class who created a computer-based museum of information on the topic they had studied. This approach became multidisciplinary, but required larger chunks of time than the traditional 50-minute class. Thus, the use of computers in inferential ways and for generating new information may be incompatible with the traditional organization of middle, junior and senior high schools, as 50 minutes may simply not be enough time. In addition, the school may need a way to make the computers students work on during the day available to them after hours."

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