Installation of a schoolwide local area computer network at Chicago-Kent College of Law (Illinois) is described. Uses of electronic mail within a course on computer law are described. Additional social, administrative, and research uses of electronic mail are noted as are positive effects and emerging problems (e.g., burdens on recipients and…

Sixteen at-risk minority children in a preschool program were tested to assess their performance in programming with LOGO Plus software. When programming concepts and the command structure were presented at developmentally appropriate levels, the subjects performed as well as other samples of preschoolers. The minority children did not exhibit any…

Over 2-year period, 83 education majors who served as interns in grade 1-6 classrooms completed narrative observation instruments and conducted teacher interviews on computer usage in classroom. Results indicated that many teachers did not make reasoned decisions about how and when their classroom computer would be used, or by whom, and that…

Thirteen 8- to 10-year-old students participated in a Lego-LOGO learning environment, coupling Lego building-block activities with Logo computer programming, to evaluate whether this learning environment was conducive to metacognitive awareness and cooperation. Results suggested positive cognitive and affective outcomes, especially for the younger…

Three studies examined the effects of parent educational level on parental attitudes toward the importance of education for their children, Mexican parents' and teachers' attitudes toward the importance of computer training in Mexican schools, and the effects of a parent literacy/computer literacy program on low-income, low-literacy parents and…

Compared the grade level difficulty obtained from seven readability formulas to student reading levels from two national standardized tests to determine which formulas best determined the readability of computer-based text. Found that the Flesch-Kincaid, FOG, and ARI formulas provided the best estimate of reading grade level of computer-based text…

Reviews research involving the LOGO computer programming language and its effect on children's achievement in mathematics, language arts, and problem solving, as well as social-emotional development. Identifies some of the unique characteristics of LOGO that may contribute to student learning. (MDM)

Two groups of 9- to 11-year-olds were asked to find and correct spelling errors, one using a typewritten story and a dictionary, the other viewing the story on a computer monitor and utilizing a spell-checker program. Although error detection rates were higher in the spell checker group than in the dictionary group, efficiency and spelling…

Computer-based problem-solving software exposure was compared to Lego TC LOGO instruction. Thirty fifth graders received either Lego LOGO instruction, which couples Lego building block activities with LOGO computer programming, or instruction with various problem-solving computer programs. Although both groups showed significant progress, the Lego…

Contrary to a rule to never teach students to lead climb, an instructor taught several youth to lead climb at a parent's request. These students planned to pursue rock climbing on their own after they left school, and preparing them was deemed a safety precaution. Analysis of this "close call" offers guidelines for introducing students to lead…

Through activity in the outdoors, we make ourselves more available to the value lessons of nature. Outdoor pursuits and adventure activities are the best providers of value experiences. These value experiences foster individual growth and respect for the environment. (KS)

"Nature-rich mentoring" is a method aimed at changing attitudes and behavior toward the environment. In this method, a small group with members from diverse backgrounds participates in an outdoor expedition with opportunities for daily reflection and discussion. Expeditions should be planned according to participant ability to allow participative…

Outdoor education is financially and environmentally costly. Goals attributed to outdoor education such as recreational skills, experiential learning, and personal development are not unique to outdoor education. The distinctiveness of outdoor education is that it leaves the conventional setting behind. The only justifiable goal of outdoor…

Debriefing is a process of guiding reflection on experience. Ideally, facilitators conduct debriefing sessions frequently and in proximity to the experience location. Includes a model "debriefing funnel" into which the facilitators pour experiences, pass those experiences through five reflective filters, and distill a learning change in…

Five stages of development in the facilitation of adventure experiences in order of sophistication are letting the experience speak for itself; speaking for the experience by the instructor; debriefing the experience through reflection; frontloading the experience with prebriefing; and framing the experience isomorphically. (KS)