3.582 CAI blues, cont. (103)
Willard McCarty (MCCARTY@vm.epas.utoronto.ca)
Fri, 13 Oct 89 20:06:37 EDT
Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 3, No. 582. Friday, 13 Oct 1989.
(1) Date: Thu, 12 Oct 89 21:56:11 EDT (21 lines)
From: LNGDANAP@UOGUELPH
Subject: CAI and PLATO
(2) Date: Fri, 13 Oct 89 10:20:15 EDT (20 lines)
From: RKennr@CONU1
Subject: cai defended
(3) Date: Fri, 13 Oct 89 19:56 N (37 lines)
From: <PU6MI6Q5@ICINECA2>
Subject: RE: 3.540 computer-assisted instruction (80)
(1) --------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 12 Oct 89 21:56:11 EDT
From: LNGDANAP@UOGUELPH
Subject: CAI and PLATO
My apologies to Norman Hinton concerning my oversimplified description
of PLATO. He is course correct that PLATO is not an authoring system,
as those are currently defined, but rather an *authoring language*
along the lines of PILOT, ie a programming language which is not
all purpose, but dedicated to a specific task, in this case pedagogy.
Although authoring languages are easier to learn than programming
languages, they still require a great deal of time and energy
investment. For teachers who cannot afford such an investment,
authoring systems (which range from the simplistic to the fairly
complex) can be much more easily used by the non-expert.
The point I wished to emphasize is that content is all. One can
produce simplistic CAI materials using the most sophisticated authoring
tools, and also some very sophisticated materials using the more
simplistic authoring systems...
Dana Paramskas, French Studies, University of Guelph, Ontario.
(2) --------------------------------------------------------------26----
Date: Fri, 13 Oct 89 10:20:15 EDT
From: RKennr@CONU1
Subject: cai defended
Charles Faulhaber notes in CAI-Blues.. Oct 10 that
"Until it is at least as easy to prepare or find CAI materials
as traditional ones, most of us are not going to find the
investment of time worthwhile..."
I think he missed the point of LNGDANAP@UOGUELPH's defense of
CAI. IT IS as easy.
If one is to compare CAI preparation time with the time needed to
prepare a hand out for class, for example, one need only examine
the time needed to prepare an activity for a mini-authoring system
like QUARTEXT. A very fruitful activity could easily be prepared
in less than an hour.
If one is looking at more involved CAI, one must compare it with
more involved "traditional" approaches. How long does it take to
find, preview, and purchase a film or videotape, for example? Let's
not even talk about producing one!
Roger Kenner Concordia University Montreal
(3) --------------------------------------------------------------43----
Date: Fri, 13 Oct 89 19:56 N
From: <PU6MI6Q5@ICINECA2>
Subject: RE: 3.540 computer-assisted instruction (80)
Regarding the availability of CAI and various ITS programs, my company, being
an "education technologies" developer of (typically) software and (sometimes)
non-software, may have products of interest to people. I will not list them
or make any further publicity, but if people are interested, they may send
me an e-mail list of subject areas of interest, and I will do my best to
reply in good speed. I work in the research lab, so I am not familiar with
the full product line.
Using this opportunity to make another request, I remember seeing postings
for a linguistics paper archive in Tilburg. It might be somewhere in
the UTORONTO LISTSERV archive, but it is very difficult to do anything
(such as such searching) interactively or in contiguous time. If there are
any HUMANISTs who subscribe to that, I would be very grateful to receive
information on this.
Finally, I would just like to let HUMANIST know how its discussions are
reaching "hard core" [exageration mine] "tech-ies" (not "t[r]ekkies") and
top-level management of some companies. As many Europeans may know, there
are joint CEC (Commission of Economic Community countries ... I think) projects
which involve collaboration among high tech companies and (sometimes)
universities. A few such projects involve the development of long-distance
learning programs. Ironically, many of the partners of these projects are
unaware of what might be done in long distance learning, or who might be
experienced-enough to provide useful advice to them. To remedy this and
bring them up to speed, I have distributed transcripts of some HUMANIST
dialogues and info tidbits to these people.
Joe Giampapa
DIDA*Lab
Milan
pu6mi6q5@icineca2.bitnet