Information technologies have become an integral part of writing and communication courses, shaping the ways students and teachers think about and do their work. But, too often, teachers and other educational stakeholders take a passive or simply reactive role in institutional approaches to technologies, and this means they are missing out on the…

When students write informational text, they have the opportunity to engage with meaningful topics, become curious about the world, learn domain-specific knowledge, and use academic vocabulary. Given the possibilities for learning through writing informational text, it is important for teachers to reflect on and improve their informational writing…

Expressions of delight and anticipation are a direct result of a schoolwide writing program designed by teachers to develop language skills in special education students. These second graders participated in a writing project that made use of wikis to facilitate collaboration among the students, parents, teachers, and university members of their…

The digital age has transformed how work is done in science, health care, the law, journalism, international relations, education, environmental conservation, agriculture, and engineering. To prepare students to thrive in today's society, teachers need to know more about how technologies are used in disciplines and workplaces, and--most…

After reading "Blending Genre, Altering Style: Writing Multigenre Papers" (Romano, 2000), two elementary teachers in Virginia became intrigued with Romano's notion of the multigenre paper as more than just a writing assignment but, rather, a multilayered, multivoiced literary experience. The multigenre paper allows young writers to use…

The present study attempted to examine the effect of using computer edutainment on developing 2nd graders' writing skills. The study comprised thirty-second year primary stage enrolled in Bani Hamad primary governmental school, Minia governorate. The study adopted the quasi-experimental design. Thirty participants were randomly assigned to one…

In our modern world of cellular phone calls, text messaging, and electronic mail, letter writing has become a lost art. What better way to motivate today's youth to experience the pleasure of "snail mail" than by reading a tale told through a series of such correspondence? The winning combination of a good story line and entertaining…

As online research has become an increasingly standard activity for middle school and high school students, Wikipedia (http://www.wikipedia.org) has simultaneously emerged as the bane of many teachers who include research-focused assignments in their courses. An online encyclopedia that allows anyone to edit its entries, Wikipedia has educators…

Word processing does not, in itself, teach revision. Students with incomplete revision strategies will not begin revising at a higher level simply by using a word processor. New computer strategies for teaching revision are needed--revision strategies that use the computer to reorganize, elaborate, and strengthen what has already been written. For…

Explains how computers can be used in the journalism class for a variety of writing exercises. (FL)

Describes use of the programing language "Logo" and the Apple II computer to teach high school students how to write extended definitions. By defining procedures in Logo for drawing simple geometric patterns, students learn that good definition requires precision, rewriting and, in complex tasks, recursion, an aspect of extended…

Based on the idea that instruction should drive technology, and not vice versa, this book shares ideas, options, and opportunities for using technology in the classroom. Vignettes and examples of classroom uses of technology are presented throughout the book to highlight concepts and help teachers support literacy goals. The essays in the book…

This guide examines the effect of learning disorders on the writing process and gives practical advice to writing teachers, lab tutors, tutors in private practice, learning specialists, and other professionals who regularly meet student writers with learning disorders. The guide also suggests ways writers with learning disorders can write more…

For use by teachers with access to writing centers, this guide provides criteria for choosing appropriate computer software for writing centers and lists current choices of good software. The first section explains why teachers, who have direct experience with the needs of students and the objectives of writing instruction, are the most qualified…

Based on the premise that English and language arts curricula should be developed by committed teachers, this book is designed to help teachers use computers in a seamless way. Focusing on what and how students learn, the book is a practical and progressive guide, showing how technology can be infused into the English/language arts curriculum…