In response to the increasing use of computers in school by young children, this paper provides definitions of concepts and discussions of topics related to computers and young children. The first section takes up the issue of computer literacy, describing various uses of the term and discussing the controversy concerning teaching computer…

Provides abstracts of documents reporting computer applications in reading and language arts that have been entered in the ERIC system. (CRH)

Reviews approaches to computer assisted reading and recent development in the design of personal computers and their implications for the teaching of reading and writing. (HOD)

Synthesizing research on writing instruction using word processors, this annotated bibliography contains 28 references of articles and papers in the ERIC database. The first section includes strategies, techniques, exercises, activities, and ideas on how to use time on a word processor most effectively. Articles and papers discussing the numerous…

Intended to help composition teachers take advantage of current advances in word processing technology, this booklet demonstrates how teachers can create computer lesson files for students that incorporate findings from research on effective writing instruction and allow students to develop, shape, and revise their own writing at the computer…

Word processing and the LOGO programing language are two microcomputer applications that are beginning to show benefits as learning tools in elementary school classrooms. Word processing packages are especially useful with beginning writers, whose lack of motor coordination often slows down their acquisition of competence in written communication.…

Discusses the problems of teaching very young students to keyboard well enough to use a computer effectively in composition. Suggests that there is sufficient software to teach keyboarding as young as the fourth grade, and that teachers who have typing skills can teach keyboarding to their students. (JC)

Addressing writing instruction for students with special needs, this annotated bibliography contains 26 references of articles and papers in the ERIC database. The citations in the first section discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using word processors in writing instruction with learning disabled (LD) students and suggest instructional…

Two factors contributing to the change in writing instruction have been (1) the research investigating the way writing is taught and (2) the computer. Proponents of the various writing models endorse writing as an ongoing, multi-stage process, with equal emphasis given to each of the stages. Educational computing has undergone a change of focus…

An overview is presented of the ways in which various types of computer software and instructional strategies can be used effectively with English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) adult literacy learners. Computer use in language and literacy development in general is first reviewed. It is then noted that in spite of the progress made in hardware and…

Designed to tap the rich collection of instructional techniques in the ERIC database, this compilation of lesson plans offers practical suggestions for incorporating computers into the English/language arts classroom at both the elementary and secondary level. Because many teachers and administrators are using computers for the first time, the…

Reports in the ERIC database have found that computer-assisted writing instruction has some effect--if not a dramatic impact--in both the quantity and quality of student writing. Although computers are becoming more common in schools, the influx of computers into schools may not assure students ample opportunity to use them. Limited time-on-task…

In an effort to provide information about the effect of computer use in schools on student achievement, attitudes, dropout rate, and learning time, a review of instructional computing research analyzed studies done between 1980 and 1987 using statistical summary procedures. Reviewers used a meta analysis procedure to calculate effect size as they…