VI. Educational applications of microelectronics computers on wheels

The mountain road was violently zig-zagging, but the driver did not slow down. He seemed to be more concerned with two timetables — that of the bus and school lessons. The bus had to arrive at a country school in time for the next lesson.

Personal computers are mounted in the bus's interior where basic instruction is given under the school curriculum³ in informa­tion science and computer technology. Children from village and town schools are thus learning to operate computers. It is-one of the forms of implementing the countrywide programme⁴ for computer knowledge among students.

At present, the fundamentals of information science and computer technology are studied in nearly 60,000 secondary schools throughout the country. The subject has been included in the curricula of the tenth and eleventh forms. As an experiment, computer lessons sometimes start at an earlier age, even at the elementary school.

The authors of the experiments have developed teaching methods that allow computer operation to be combined with strengthening the oral count habits, developing the so-called sense of numbers, improving the standards of logic and mathematical thinking. For example, a mathematical dictation for solving textual problems. Teachers know that with the conventional methods the better part of a maths lesson is spent on putting down the so­lutions of problems (as a rule, children write slowly) and calculations. The logic part of the solution takes very little time. With computer equipment, this can be done efficiently and with

' an expert at handling electronic computers — специалист, умеющий работать

с ЭВМ ³ For all that, the ability... is not an end in itself but—При всем при том

способность... является не самоцелью, я

³ school curriculum (p!. curricula,! — школьная программа

⁴ implementing the... programme — претворение в жизнь,.. программы

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the entire class participating.' The teacher slowly dictates the problem, whTle the children are not writing but listening attentively and thinking about the development. After a repeat, they im­mediately work out the problem on a computer or a calculator. The computer enables them to check the solution. In the second part of the lesson, a pupil comments on the line of reasoning² Using this method, the pupils of experimental classes can solve eight to ten problems in 15 to 20 minutes.

The introduction of the new course in schools made it impera­tive to reorient the higher educational establishments, too: over a hundred faculties and departments were opened to provide training in information science and computer technology.

General secondary and vocational schools, teacher training institutes and universities had to be equipped with computer technology. In many areas children are taken by bus to specialized centres where they learn the new subjects because so far special classrooms cannot be equipped in every school. In some regions another approach has been taken — buses were equipped with everything necessary, and their schedules were timed to serve the lessons at schools.³