Review by Peter J. Crump
The electrified classroom; Using technology in the
middle grades, gilstrap, Robert L.
Childhood Education, 1997 Annual Theme, Vol. 73 Issue 5, p297,
4p.
This article focuses on how technology is being used
to enhance instruction in
American Middle Schools through the use of computers and television.
Focus of the
article is primarily on Middle Schools in Virginia, but also examines
schools in the rest
of the Nation. The article goes into detail about the steps taken
by the Department of
Education at George Mason University to prepare teachers for using
technology in
education.
Reviews compiled by Erin Egan
Beers, Kylene, Into Focus: Understanding
and Creating Middle School Readers,
ERIC Digest, ED41249
This book's goal is to help middle school teachers to connect their
students to
reading. It suggests computer programs for students, disscusses
the Internet as
reading motivation and walks teachers through CD ROMs. The book
introduces
computers as another method of learning besides the use of textbooks.
Saccardi, Marianne, The Interactive Computer:
Authors and Readers Online,
School Library Journal: v37, Oct 91.
Developed through Fairfield-Westchester Children's Reading Project of
Connecticut,
this article described a project that matched students and authors
and promoted
online discussions between them. Teacher responses indicated
that the overall
success of the project was positive.
Berry, David, Using Electronic Texts in the
Classroom, MultiMedia Schools: v4,
Jan-Feb 1997.
This article discusses the use of Electronic Texts in the Middle School
Classroom,
where to find them on the WWW, downloading them and copyright laws
that make
them available.
Elkind, Jerome and Others, Using Computer Based
Readers to Improve Reading
Comprehension of Students with Dyslexia, Annals
of Dyslexia: v43, 1993
This article disscusses the study of 28 middle school students with
dyslexia that read
literature daily on a computer based system. 70% of the students
read with greater
comprehension.