peelings-ii-v4n1-1983

so much more than "computations". In other (human) languages,words more related to the idea of "data" or "information", and lesssuggestive of calculation, are used.I would go one step further. A computer, as a translator of ideasinto actions, is an "anything machine".This has been a fast and sweeping overview of the scope of thiscolumn. Next time: the pieces of a computer system, getting thehardware together.OUPDATE FOR THE APPLE GRADE BOOKAND A.E.N. GRADING SYSTEMReviewed by Sandy AbernathyBoth software packages were reviewed in the April, 1982 issue ofPeelings II. Since then, both have been revised and updated. Theintention here is to review the changes. For general information aboutthe programs the reader should check the earlier reviews.As an introductory comment prefacing the spring reviews, I hadstated that I wasn't convinced that an electronic grade book would bevaluable to a teacher, especially if a microcomputer wasn't readilyavailable. I also expressed concern with disk security. This fall I keptboth a paper grade book and an electronic gradebook to see if thelatter would be useful, i.e., allow me to manage grades and reportsmore easily, quickly, etc. After both grade books were set up, thetime spent entering information first in the paper grade book andthen in the electronic grade book was minimal. The electronic gradebook was very useful. Averages for students, assignments, andclasses were available as soon as grades were entered. Informationcould be retrieved and reports printed for individual students, singleassignments or classes whenever needed. Students liked the individual,printed reports. All data entry and report generation was done athome so microcomputer availability and disk security were not. problems.If a microcomputer is readily available, a paper grade book iskept and the teacher is reasonably careful with the data disk, an electronicgrade book can be a valuable tool.THE APPLE GRADE BOOK, 2.4by Jay W. GrosmarkJ & S Software140 Reid Ave.Port Washington, NY 11050516-944-9304$34.50Applesoft48K or 32K3.3 or 3.2 DOSUnlockedRating BThe Apple Grade Book now supports 3.3 DOS, 48K and aprinter. If 3.2 DOS or only 32K without a printer is available, thediskette can be returned for the appropriate package. The publisherstates that software produced by the company is supported indefinately.Those with earlier versions of The Apple Grade Book whowish an updated version can return their diskette, along with $2.00to cover postage, and receive a current copy.Several additions and modifications have been included in thecurrent 2.4 version. These include the following:1) the program handles larger sets of data. A maximum of 80 studentsand 35 assignments for each of 5 classes are possible. If onecategory, such as the number of students, is less, the size of the othercategories may be increased.2) the disk can no longer be modified to accommodate more than38one teacher. This should prevent the diskette from being filled beforethe end of the grading period.3) an elementary option has been added that allows the names in oneclass to be automatically written for another class. This is a class byclass option so that classes with different names are possible as well.4) classes can now be added or deleted at any time by using the"Corrections" or "Deletion" options.5) when students are deleted, the word, "Dropped", appears in placeof the name and all scores are deleted from the class scores. If thestudent should return to the class and the teacher must reinstate thestudent, the "Correct Spelling of a Name" option can be used to retypethe student's name and the student's scores will automaticallyreappear in the class list.6) scores are now compared to the maximum score upon entry. If thescore exceeds the maximum score, the user is asked if the score iscorrect. The user can reenter the score or override the question.7) when reporting student scores, all individual student reports canbe displayed before the user is returned to the main menu. This wasnot possible with the earlier version. In addition, the user has theoption of requesting a list of each student's scores or all missedassignments or both. When printing student reports, the user has theoption of printing each student report on a separate paper or savingpaper and printing them continuously.8) some directions say "Press Return" instead of "Hit Return".Items that are still confusing are:a) numbers do not line up vertically in reports.b) when using the option, "Adding Grades", the user is asked to identifythe type of assignment by number and any number is acceptedPeelings II