One set of early applications that the home computers of the early 80’s were exceptional at (given the primitive graphics available) were those that taught something. Known in this video as “computer aided instruction” this episode of Bits and Bytes focuses on some rather impressive instructional programs intended for children, spanning the various major home computers of the era – the Commodore Pet, The Atari 8-bit line, and the computer anyone growing up in the 80’s and early 90’s would remember from school, the Apple II.
The concepts present here are still in use today, albeit heavily advanced, in both schools and in special learning situations, with the computer acting most often as an assistant to a teacher and traditional teaching methods, as well as a method of practice and eventual testing.
While a computer could never replace a teacher, as a tool to assist in the learning process it cannot be beat. Between programs designed to teach and drill certain skills, to the incredible database of knowledge that the internet has become, computers have proven to be perfect assistance in the learning process, and continue to improve in this task year after year.
As always, enjoy this trip back in time. Who knows, it might bring some memories back of a a dusty old Apple II in a school that might not even exist anymore… (you can tell I’m referring to my past, can’t ya? 🙂 )