Introduction
PLATO is an acronym for: Programmed Logic for Automated Teaching Operations.
The TI-99/4A Plato Cartridge was the ONLY computer system that allowed an independent collection of Plato Courseware to be accessed on the computer; the Atari Plato Cartridge only allowed the computer to act as a Plato Terminal where the computer connected to a mainframe via a telephone connection.
In mid 1983 TI and Control Data struck a deal to release the PLATO courseware for the TI-99/4A. Until this time PLATO was only available to large businesses, universities and government offices, as it ran on main frames.
TI released 108 courses with 481 programs for students in grades 1 through 12. To be able to use the PLATO system you needed: TI-99/4A console, Disk controller and drives, memory expansion, and of course the PLATO interpreter cartridge.
Did you know
that there is a whole community of TI-99/4A hobbyist that are avid
PLATO enthusiasts?
Many of the
TI-99/4A enthusiasts over the years have acquired the entire TI-99/4A
Plato System which consists of a Plato Cartridge & 481 90K 5¼
inch disks.
There are now
even TI-99/4A emulators that run on IBM PCs running Windows 7 that
also execute the Plato System as it was executed back when Control
Data sold the product.
It may be a
curiosity resource that you might want to obtain and
demonstrate an actual Plato System from around circa 1983 in action!
TI Plato
Course-Ware is divided into eight curricula:
1) Basic Skills
Math
2) Basic Skills
Reading
3) Basic Skills
Grammar
4) High School
Skills Writing
5) High School
Skills Math
6) High School
Skills Reading
7) High School
Skills Science
8) High School
Skills Social Studies
Curriculum 1:
Basic Skills Math
Subject: Basic
number ideas
PHD 5201
(15205575) Numbers 0-9
PHD 5202
(15205595) Numbers 10-1000
Subject:
Addition
PHD 5203
(15205655) Addition 1
PHD 5204
(15205657) Addition 2
Subject:
Subtraction
PHD 5205
(15205683) Subtraction — basic concepts
PHD 5206
(15205700) Subtraction skills
Subject:
Multiplication
PHD 5207
(15205673) Multiplication — basic concepts
PHD 5208
(15205765) Multiplication skills 1
PHD 5209
(15205828) Multiplication skills 2
Subject:
Division
PHD 5210
(15205830) Division — basic concepts
PHD 5211
(15205847) Division skills 1
PHD 5212
(15205873) Division skills 2
Subject:
Fractions
PHD 5213
(15205945) Fractions — terminology and concepts
PHD 5214
(15205993) Addition and subtraction
PHD 5215
(15207271) Multiplication and division
Subject:
Decimals
PHD 5216
(15207319) Decimals — terminology and concepts
Subject: Ratio,
proportion and percent
PHD 5217
(15207321) Ratio, proportion and percent
Subject:
Geometry and measurement
PHD 5218
(15207347) Geometry — basic concepts
PHD 5219
(15207407) Measurement
Curriculum 2:
Basic Skills Reading
Subject: Making
new words
PHD 5220
(15207409) Basic word building
PHD 5221
(15207426) More basic word building
PHD 5222
(15207446) Complex word building
PHD 5223
(15207509) Prefixes, suffixes and compound words
PHD 5224
(15207511) More prefixes and suffixes
PHD 5225
(15207534) Prefixes and suffixes in context
Subject:
Understanding new words
PHD 5226
(15207554) Selecting the proper words
PHD 5227
(15207580) Choosing the proper words
PHD 5228
(15207603) Dealing with confusing words
PHD 5229
(15207623) Word meanings
PHD 5230
(15207643) Applying new words
PHD 5231
(15207660) Understanding and using new words
Subject:
Understanding what you read
PHD 5232
(15207683) Locating basic facts
PHD 5233
(15207700) More basic facts from reading
PHD 5234
(15207717) Understanding what you read
PHD 5235
(15207737) Remembering what you read
PHD 5236
(15207800) Remembering more of what you read
PHD 5237
(15207802) Interpreting what you read
Subject:
Thinking about what you read
PHD 5238
(15207819) Understanding basic facts
PHD 5239
(15207839) Understanding more of what you read
PHD 5240
(15207856) Describers and conclusions
PHD 5241
(15207873) Different types of describers and conclusions
PHD 5242
(15207893) Understanding the whole story
Subject:
Judging what you read
PHD 5243
(15207910) Fact and non-fact
PHD 5244
(15207921) Author's purpose
PHD 5245
(15207935) Evaluating what you read1
PHD 5246
(15207949) Author's purpose and your conclusions
PHD 5247
(15207966) Separating fact from opinion
Curriculum 3:
Basic Skills Grammar
Subject: Parts
of Speech
PHD 5248
(15204600) Nouns and Verbs
PHD 5249
(15204617) More about nouns and verbs
PHD 5250
(15204634) Pronouns
PHD 5251
(15204654) Making nouns and pronouns agree
PHD 5252
(15204668) Adjectives and adverbs
PHD 5253
(15204688) Prepositions, conjunctions and articles
Subject:
Building and using sentences
PHD 5254
(15204702) Learning about sentences
PHD 5255
(15204716) Phrases and Clauses
PHD 5256
(15204733) Subject and verb agreement
PHD 5257
(15204750) More about sentences
Subject:
Spelling and usage
PHD 5258
(15204764) More than one
PHD 5259
(15204778) Word confusion
PHD 5260
(15204795) Possessives
Subject:
Capital letters and punctuation
PHD 5261
(15204809) Capital letters
PHD 5262
15204826) Punctuation
Subject:
Writing letters
PHD 5263
(15204843) Making letters look right
PHD 5264
(15204857) Giving the employer the correct information
Curriculum 4:
High School Skills Writing
Subject:
Spelling and punctuation
PHD 5265
(15208506) Spelling
PHD 5266
(15208523) Punctuation
Subject:
Grammar
PHD 5267
(15208543) Grammar 1
PHD 5268
(15208566) Grammar 2
PHD 5269
(15208592) Grammar 3
Subject:
Diction
PHD 5270
(15208609) Diction
Subject:
Sentence structure
PHD 5271
(15208629) Sentence structure
Subject: Logic
and organization
PHD 5272
(15208649) Logic and organization
Curriculum 5:
High School Skills Math
Subject: Basic
number ideas
PHD 5273
(15205250) Basic number ideas 1
PHD 5274
(15205267) Basic number ideas 2
Subject: Math
sentences in one variable
PHD 5275
(15205287) Math sentences in one variable 1
PHD 5276
(15205304) Math sentences in one variable 2
Subject: Math
sentences in two variables
PHD 5277
(15205321) Math sentences in two variables
Subject:
Geometry
PHD 5278
(15205338) Geometry
Subject:
Measurement
PHD 5279
(15205358) Measurement
Subject:
Special Topics
PHD 5280
(15205378) Special topics
Subject:
Practical reading
PHD 5281
(15205400) Practical reading 1
PHD 5282
(15205423) Practical reading 2
Subject:
General reading
PHD 5283
(15205443) General reading 1
PHD 5284
(15205463) General reading 2
Subject: Prose
literature
PHD 5285
(15205486) Prose literature 1
PHD 5286
(15205500) Prose literature 2
PHD 5287
(15205520) Prose literature 3
Curriculum 6:
High School Skills Reading
Subject: Poetry
PHD 5288
(15205537) Poetry
Subject: Drama
PHD 5289
(15205557) Drama
Curriculum 7:
High School Skills Science
Subject:
Physics
PHD 5290
(15208860) Physics 1
PHD 5291
(15208923) Physics 2
Subject:
Chemistry
PHD 5292
(15208983) Chemistry
Subject: Earth
science
PHD 5293
(15209031) Earth science 1
PHD 5294
(15209033) Earth science 2
Subject:
Biology
PHD 5295
(15209091) Biology 1
PHD 5296
(15209130) Biology 2
PHD 5297
(15209172) Biology 3
PHD 5298
(15209220) Biology 4
Curriculum 8:
High School Skills Social Studies
Subject:
Geography
PHD 5299
(15208669) Geography
Subject:
Economics
PHD 5300
(15208695) Economics 1
PHD 5301
(15208715) Economics 2
Subject:
Behavioral science
PHD 5302
(15208735) Behavioral science 1
PHD 5303
(15208752) Behavioral science 2
Subject:
Political science
PHD 5304
(15208769) Political science 1
PHD 5305
(15208786) Political science 2
Subject:
History
PHD 5306
(15208809) History 1
PHD 5307
(15208826) History 2
PHD 5308
(15208843) History 3
Now the users can see what a nice collection of Plato Software that the TI-99/4A had available for the machine as compared to other micro computer users.
Conversely, they can actually load a Plato Terminal program onto their current computers and then join the www.cyber1.org site to then experience Plato from a mainframe as it was back in the mid 1980s for a comparison between the two methods of accessing Plato Software.
