Offers examples of recent work in the use of computer technology to teach writing. (Available from: Modern Learning Publishers, Inc., 6517 Liggett, Oakland, CA 94611, $14.) (AEA)

Describes the nature and use of Structured Document Processors (SDPs), which integrate word processors and various writing aids to guide and control composing processes for specialized writing. Notes the need for SDPs in industry. Explores their implications for the practice and teaching of technical writing. (SR)

In the past decade, theories of the social construction of knowledge have resulted in the widespread use of collaborative learning techniques. Computer technology has been in the forefront of this movement, with one result being a minor revolution in writing instruction. Specifically, communications and text sharing through both local and wide…

Word processing may change how people learn to write. The use of a word processor to teach a sixth grader with writing problems showed how the machine can alleviate problems involving writing with pencil and paper, correcting errors, evaluating and revising, and producing a good-looking text. (RW)

Despite the usefulness of computers, there is no consistent objective evidence that they can help students become better writers. Even if computers alone could improve writing quality, it is important to consider what degree of improvement is necessary to justify the enormous expense and effort of installing and maintaining computers. (Author/MSE)

Noting that expert computer systems respond to various contexts in terms of knowledge representation, this paper explains that heuristic rules of production, procedural representation, and frame representation have been adapted to such areas as medical diagnosis, signal interpretation, design and planning of electrical circuits and computer system…

Word processors save time and effort in learning to write. Benefits for students include learning to type and time for thinking and editing. Word processing also allows instructors to be more demanding of students because revising and correcting take less time. (RW)

Prewriting programs using computers fall into two broad categories: interactive and noninteractive. An early example of a noninteractive program is that of Ellen Nold, called "Cinnamon." Its purpose was to present the student with a series of content questions. In answering such questions, the student would be accumulating a set of data…

Teachers of public relations and other communication areas, with endorsement from the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC), should request the data processing industry to develop assisted instruction programs in journalistic writing. Such action would provide a clearly defined need for a significant market and…

This annual collection of articles on teaching and learning in Utah's 2-year colleges begins with an examination by Don A. Carpenter of the slow growth and acceptance of the comprehensive concept of the community college prevalent in other states. Next, Arvo Van Alstyne discusses "Educational Purposes and Priorities" and argues for a…

The home's supportive setting, which has the potential to encourage children to share their thoughts and feelings through spoken language, is the basis of the home's strength as a communicative context. Teachers can help extend this sharing of meaning by creating classroom environments in which written language experiences and microcomputer-based…

Looks at English departments, English curricula, and the activities of professional organizations in the field, and concludes that bureaucracies, with their vested interest in the status quo, prevent effective action against a range of major problems faced by English teachers. (RBW)

The articles in this collection identify and discuss challenges facing community colleges as they attempt to implement the new microcomputer technology for instructional and administrative purposes. The collection includes: "The Microcomputer Revolution and Its Impact on Community Colleges," by Donald A. Dellow and Lawrence H. Poole;…

With increasing attention being given to the importance of microcomputers in the schools, there is concern about how new teachers can best be prepared to use the new technology effectively. This paper presents a perspective on teacher training based on three categories in which computers may be used in the classroom: to provide unique learning…

Noting that conceptions of the cognitive representations and processes involved in discourse comprehension and production recently have undergone an important shift in orientation, this paper points out the importance of the shift to the conception of the nature of texts, of text understanding, and of cognitive processes in knowledge creation and…