Integrating microcomputers and related technologies in agricultural education

Microcomputers are used in nearly every phase of agricultural business and industry. To properly equip graduates to work in agriculture, teachers have begun to incorporate microcomputers and related technologies into the curriculum. Important microcomputer-related technologies available today include telecommunications hardware, printers of all kinds, plotters, remote sensing and control devises, optical scanners, video-disk equipment, many other hardware devices as well as the associated software to operate the systems (Camp, Moore, Foster, & Moore, 1988). Agriculture teacher educators and state supervisors continue to examine their roles in supporting the adoption of such new technologies in agricultural education. Background Experience: At the outset of the microcomputer revolution in education, there was little consensus about what we ought to teach. Malpiedi (1989) reminded us that in the early 1980s, computer instruction frequently consisted of nothing more than BASIC programming. Those of us who participated during the early years of the microcomputer revolution need little to remind us of such uncertainty, perhaps even mistakes. During the 1980s, educators came to believe that microcomputers could be used for many things, with programming being one of the least important (Camp et al., 1988). Important computer applications that emerged were: management tool for decision-making, computer assisted instructio