SYNC in the Classroom
In the wake of the recent federal budget cuts in education SYNC has been receiving inquiries from teachers and school administrators about the Sinclair computer. The question they ask most frequently concerns the Sinclair as an alternative to the larger popular computer systems. They are interested in the fact that for the price of one of the popular systems they can get several Sinclair computers with 16K RAM packs and provide hands-on experience to several students instead of just one. For the price of several large computers a whole class could be equipped with the Sinclair computer. So a school system even with sharp budgetary constraints does not have to cut back on basic computer literacy programs; it could even initiate such programs.
Another question they often ask concerns the availability of educational software. Since the ZX80 and ZX81 were introduced to the United Kingdom market some months before they were available here, most of the educational software available is from U.K. sources. Some U.S. software suppliers have made arrangements to distribute U.K. software here.
SYNC has received a number of articles which suggest some of the educational uses of the Sinclair computers, and we have gathered some of these for our theme section “SYNC in the Classroom.” These articles deal with a variety of levels from pre-school up.
Two major characteristics show up in the articles we have received. First, the main focus of most is math. Perhaps this is natural; after all, a computer does compute. We will be using some of these in future issues. Second, many articles use the computer as a substitute for a pencil and scratch paper. Certainly this is one use, and it is an important one where the computations are extremely lengthy and tedious. However, it seems hardly worth the trouble to load a tape to do something that a pencil and paper will do more quickly. Since such programs are not difficult to write, they tend to appear first.
At the present the computer seems to be more of a novelty in the classroom than an integral tool in the learning process. There are three main obstacles to classroom computer use. First, the most serious obstacle is that we do not yet have enough teachers with computer training to use the computer as a teaching tool. It seems frequently that the computer is assigned to the math department which is expected to either have or get the expertise to use it. Like other equipment which requires some study and work to use the computer may be in danger of being relegated to the closet when the enthusiasm of the administration for getting on the computer bandwagon wears off.
Second, some teachers are afraid of it and will resist its use. This is partly because some students are already far ahead of them in computer mastery, and we adults have a hard time accepting the fact that an elementary school student can know more than we do about a subject that everyone knows is difficult to master.
Third, some schools restrict the use of their computers to advanced students. This is unfortunate because the idea is encouraged that computers are only for “special” students, not for “ordinary” students. Above all, the computer is not integrated into the total school curriculum as a tool with a contribution for each area.
The serious use of the computer in education depends upon having teachers trained to use it in their particular fields, software exploiting the computer’s capability for interaction with the student, and an openness to a new tool for teaching and learning.
How is the computer being used in your local school system?
ROMs and RAMs
Readers have requested that we publish 8K ROM translations of the programs we published before the 8K ROM was introduced. We are including some of these translation in “8K ROM Updates” elsewere in this issue. We have also been asked to publish programs for the ZX80 with the 8K ROM.
We specify the ROM and RAM requirements on all programs and articles where these are necessary, but we do not specify the machine as such.
The 4K ROM programs will work on the ZX80 and the MicroAce; The 8K ROM programs, on the ZX81 and the ZX80 with the 8K ROM. However, since the SLOW mode cannot be accessed on the ZX80 with the 8K ROM, programs which must be run in SLOW mode require some slight modification. The SLOW mode functions to allow the viewer to see the display change. Usually the action graphics routines have two basic parts: 1) putting a new picture on the screen, and 2) taking it off. On the ZX80 with the 8K ROM you can use a PAUSE between these two parts to allow you to see the change. For example,
10 LET J=1 Initialize
20 LET I=1 variables
30 PLOT I,J "Prints" picture
40 UNPLOT I,J Removes picture
50 LET J=J+1 Adjusts variables for
new picture
60 GOTO 30 Loop back to "print"
new picture
For the ZX80 with the 8K ROM you would add
35 PAUSE (number, e.g., 10)
The number determines the length of the PAUSE. In the U.S. 60 equals one second; in the U.K. 50 equals one second.
Generally our authors write their programs on one specific machine. We request our authors to supply the listings or modifications necessary for the users of the other ROMs and machines; on occasion we modify or translate a program. The ROM in parentheses indicates such a translation or adaptation.
Since 8K ROM programs are virtually identical we have not made separate listings for the ZX80 users.
Some readers have also asked concerning the RAM designations. These RAM designations (usually in the upper right or left corner of the first page of an article) do not refer to the length of the program, but to the amount of RAM your machine must have to run the program. Many programs designated 16K require much less than 16K RAM, but, since most users and authors have 1K, 2K or 16K RAM, we do not specify intermediate RAM levels. When a RAM designation appears in parentheses, we mean that modifications of the basic program are provided for use with that much RAM.