Integrating Computers in Schools

Andy Reinhardt's article "New Ways to Learn" (March) is an excellent introduction to current computer technology in schools and the possibilities it entails. It will greatly aid my mission to get administrators and teachers in our middle school to discover these resources. My years of experience with this issue very much parallels what Reinhardt reports, including using much of the same software he mentions.

Gary Mattson
Marina Middle School
San Francisco, CA

I've been reading BYTE for almost 20 years because of its well-earned reputation for factual evaluations of hardware and software. Your issue on education is the antithesis. Computers belong in the classroom, not in a computer technology magazine. My wife, who teaches third graders, uses computers effectively by conce ntrating on what they do best for students. In 1994, her third-grade students competed against fifth graders in a national NASA/NSTA science contest and placed first and second in California and second in the nation. She does not use any of the "edutainment" materials by the parfait providers featured in your multimedia splash.

Larry Severson
science@macropress.com