Free eBooks by Dave Moursund

This MS Word format eBook is also titled: Teachers Manual: Getting smarter at solving problems. There is one chapter of the Teacher's Manual for each chapter of the Getting Smarter at Solving Problems eBook. Each chapter of the Teacher's Manual contains:

1. A rationale and overview of the chapter in the text. This is a brief summary of the ideas and why they are included in the text.
2. Ways to coordinate the Getting Smarter at Solving Problems materials with a variety of computer literacy courses.
3. One or more lesson plans. These include black line masters (for overhead transparencies) and additional activities that can be used in class, as assignments, or in assessment activities.

This short PDF eBook provides an overview of a large and complex field—problem solving and roles of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in problem solving.

This book contains a series of 20 Information Age Education Newsletters that explore various elements of the educational issues that will confront our society during the 21st century. The principal focus of the series is on the dramatic developments currently occurring in the cognitive neurosciences and computer technology. These promise to play an especially significant role in reshaping educational policy and practice.

The authors of the articles are all widely known and respected for their work in the areas in which they wrote. They were asked to select a general issue that they consider important to 21st century education and to discuss the elements of it that they consider especially significant to educators. Some authors focus on simply exploring the issue itself and others also suggest educational applications.

 Quoting from the Preface to November 2004 reprint:
In my opinion, Computers and Problem Solving: A Workshop for Educators is still a very useful book. The original text has been modified by the addition of a few commas and a change of the word “which” to “that” in a couple of places. The original illustrations (designed to lighten up the text) have not been included. Appendix B, which was written for use in a revision of the book that did not occur, has been added for historical purposes. I am pleased that this book can be made available (at no charge) to those who wish to access it through the Web.

Quoting from the Preface to the 2004 reprint: 

 

I find it interesting to look at current aspects of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in education from the point of view of high tech/high touch. The capabilities of ICT systems have grown by a factor of perhaps 10,000 or more since the Tofflers wrote The Third Wave. ICT has been a major change factor in our society and in the world. A gradual pattern of “tech” versus “touch” has emerged. ICT (the “tech”) has speeded up and/or facilitated increased automation of many tasks and problem-solving activities. People often draw an analogy with how the machines of the industrial revolution changed the nature of physical work. The machines of the ICT revolution are changing the nature of mental work. In combination, the industrial revolution and the ICT revolution are significantly changing the nature of the work that people do. And, of course, they are changing the standard of living, formal and informal education, and many other aspects of our lives.