MICROCOMPUTERS IN THE CLASSROOMAuthor(s): CAMILLE C. PRICESource: The Mathematics Teacher, Vol. 71, No. 5, Computers and Calculators (MAY 1978), pp.425-427Published by: National Council of Teachers of MathematicsStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/27961290 .

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MICROCOMPUTERS IN THE CLASSROOM

Do reductions in size and cost now make a classroom

computer available to you?

By CAMILLE C. PRICE

Stephen F. Austin State University

Nacogdoches, TX 75962

Recent developments in the field of mi

croprocessing have resulted in astonishing reductions in the size and cost of comput ing equipment. These developments permit a close association between students and

computers in the classroom that was im

possible just a year or so ago. It is generally agreed that every second

ary school mathematics student should have access to a computer or computer ter minal (Taylor 1976). Computers are appli cable for a variety of instructional uses and are appropriate at various levels in a broad

range of disciplines. So widespread is the use of computers (in the arts and social sciences as well as in the mathematical and natural sciences) that the term computer lit

eracy has been introduced to indicate an

individual's familiarity with the fundamen tals of computing (Nevison 1976). Com

puter-assisted instruction has been used for

many years both in the presentation of new material and in drill work.

The computer will continue to be useful as a tool for instruction in many areas, but

A typical microcomputer occupies a small desk top.

because of the small size and low cost of the new microcomputers, the computer itself can now serve as an object of study.

A microcomputer is a complete com

puter with all the components of a large computer, merely reduced in size by mod ern technology. Just a few years ago a ma

chine with comparable capabilities might

have required a large room to contain it and an enormous amount of money for its

purchase and maintenance. A typical mi

crocomputer, however, may be kept on a small table or desk top and may cost only a few hundred dollars. Examples of such sys tems are the MOS Technology KIM-1, the

Data Handler, the Jolt, and the Micro-68.

(Teachers who wish to survey the available

microcomputer systems will find interesting articles as well as informative ads in such

magazines as BYTE, P.O. Box 361, Arling ton, MA 02174; Computers and People, 815

Washington St., Newtonville, MA 02160;

Interface, 1702 Ashland, Santa Monica, CA 90405; Calculators/Computers, Dymax, P.O. Box 310, Dept. 22, Menlo Park, CA

94025.)

Microcomputer Kits

Microcomputers can be purchased either in kit form or completely assembled, fully tested, and operational. For a very small

investment, a school could buy a new mi

crocomputer kit every year. Such an ap proach offers several advantages:

1. Assembling the computer kit is a proj ect that can be undertaken jointly by the vocational classes and the mathematics and science classes.

2. Students who have different interests and abilities can participate in the project. Some students will prefer to become in volved with the hardware construction while others will want to work on program

development; but all will have the satisfac tion of having made a tangible contribution to the project (Ahl 1976).

3. The result of such a program is that over the years the school acquires several

working microcomputer systems that will continue to be used for various purposes

throughout the school.

May 1978 425

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There is a wide variety of inexpensive systems on the market. Th? Micro-68a mi

crocomputer is available for $385 in kit form from Electronic Product Associates, 1157 Vega Street, San Diego, California

92110, and includes a power supply and cabinet. This system has a hexadecimal

keyboard (with keys 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, A, B, ?, D, E, F representing the digits in base 16) for input, a six-digit LED display, a Motorola 6800 microprocessor, and 128

bytes of RAM (random access memory). The KIM-1 microcomputer is offered by National Electro-Sales, 12063 W. Jefferson

Blvd., Culver City, California 90230, for $245 fully assembled. It has input/output facilities similar to those of the Micro-68a, a MOS Technology 6502 microprocessor, and 1024 bytes of RAM. This system does not include a power supply or cabinet, but it does have the interface and control cir

cuitry necessary to attach a teletype for in

put/output and an audio cassette for aux

iliary memory storage. If class time is limited, a fully-assembled

microcomputer may be a wiser choice, since more time is then available for learn

ing to operate the system and for applying it to specific areas of interest.

Value of Microcomputers A computer that is readily accessible to

students can be used to teach a variety of

concepts. First, the students learn the de

sign of computer systems and the basic

principles of computer organization?the interconnection between the control unit, the arithmetic/logic unit, the memory, and the input/output devices. Classroom activi ties will then include the design and devel

opment of computer programs; these pro grams may be directed toward enhancing the capabilities of the computer system it

self, or they may be programs with practi cal applications in mathematics, science, or business. The original computer system may have only a small keyboard for input, and an output that is not much more elabo rate than the display on an electronic calcu lator. When students develop a thorough understanding of the operation of this

simple system, additional components may be added, such as an audio cassette re

corder for storing and retrieving programs and data and perhaps a teletype for more

convenient input and output. It is also pos sible to add components such as a cathode

ray tube or a small impact printer, but the cost of these additional units may quickly exceed the cost of the microprocessor itself. Rather than confront the students initially with a complicated system that is beyond their grasp, it is more reasonable to in troduce them to a simple computer system and then modify the system as the study progresses.

The second purpose that may be served

by a classroom computer is related to struc tured communication. In order to make use of a computer, students must learn certain

A wide range of inexpensive systems can be purchased.

rules that must be followed in order to communicate with the computer. Most of the students involved in the project will learn some kind of machine-programming language, and this provides important practice in communications skills. Educa tors have noted a steady decrease in the verbal abilities of secondary school gradu ates. Communication with a copiputer through the use of a programming lan

guage necessitates rigid adherence to the rules of syntax specified for the computer. This may contribute to a renewed apprecia tion of the importance of grammatical structure and the formal properties of lan

guages in general. A computer in the classroom may also be

used to illustrate scientific and mathemati cal concepts that have traditionally been studied without the aid of the computer. Communication with a computer at a cer

tain level requires a working knowledge of the binary and hexadecimal number sys tems. This necessity might serve as a moti vation for the study of number systems.

426 Mathematics Teacher

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Interesting science lab experiments may be designed around a microcomputer. Most microcomputer kits include a manual

describing suggested component configura tions. The imaginative science lab teacher could adapt these suggestions to illustrate such general concepts as the production of sound waves and the design of simple elec trical circuits.

Perhaps the most valuable benefit to be derived by students who learn to write com

puter programs for their microcomputer is

Microcomputers give students more insight into the work ing of a computer than do programmable calculators.

the development of the ability to think logi cally and to design coherent, workable so

lutions to problems. The availability of a

microcomputer provides an inexpensive means of giving students the opportunity to

develop and make use of problem-solving techniques such as iterative methods, which are tedious to demonstrate without the de

cision-making (branching) capabilities of a

computer.

Mention should be made of the dis tinction between a programmable calcu lator and a microprocessor. If the aim is

merely to teach how to program a machine, then programmable calculators serve very well. If, however, you wish to demonstrate how a machine works, then a micro

computer is much more valuable. Program mable calculators are designed to help people solve numerical problems; and to

make it easier for the user, the internal

workings of the machine are hidden as

much as possible. By using micro

computers, it is possible not only to de scribe the skills needed to program the ma

chine, but also to demonstrate how data is routed through the different parts of the machine and how the various operations are performed on the data.

Close association with a computer en ables students to develop an appreciation not only for the capabilities of computers but also for their limitations. Only through hands-on experience with computers and related equipment will students begin to get the kind of education they will need to use the computing power that is available to them now.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Ahl, David. "Computers in Secondary Schools? 1975." Creative Computing 2(1976):51.

-. "Instructional Computing in Schools?How, When, What?" Creative Computing 2(1976): 12.

Gawronski, J. D., J. Hendrickson, and J. Fehlen.

"Computer Assisted Instruction in the Elementary School." School Science and Mathematics 76(Febru ary 1976): 107-109.

Johnsonbaugh, Richard. "Applications of Calculators and Computers to Limits." Mathematics Teacher

69(January 1976):60-65.

Leventhal, Lance A. "Microprocessors in Computer Education." Computers and People, October 1976.

McCabe, Dwight. PCC's Reference Book of Personal and Home Computing. Menlo Park, California:

People's Computer Company, 1977.

Nevison, John M. "Computing in the Liberal Arts

College." Science 194 (1976):396-402.

Spencer, Donald D. Microcomputers at a Glance. Or mond Beach, Florida: Camelot Publishing Com

pany, 1977.

Taylor, Ross. "NACOME: Implications for Teaching K-12." Mathematics Teacher 69 (October 1976):458-63.

Williman, A. O., and H. J. Jelinek. "Introduction to LSI Microprocessor Developments." Computer 9(1976):34-46.

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COLLEGE ENTRANCE EXAMINATION Indexed Sample Objective Questions

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May 1978 421

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