Grammar checkers do not claim to teach grammar; they are tools to bring potential problems to the writer's attention. They also offer only formal and Standard English preferences, limiting the freer expression of some literary forms. Without guidance, students may misuse the checker, become frustrated, and feel discouraged. Users must be…

Reports how the use of microcomputers in a writing class helped change students' writing behaviors, created a writing community, caused the teacher to learn along with the students, and helped marginal writers improve. (SRT)

Offers five high school teachers' comments regarding how the computer has changed their lives in the classroom, the uses they make of it, and what it promises for the immediate future. (SR)

Four teachers discuss using the word processor to (1) teach writing, (2) help students with dyslexia, and (3) access an information retrieval service for research papers, as well as for other classroom purposes. (EL)

Describes several uses for computers in the English classroom, including word processing, typing practice, and networking. (MM)

Reviews five books of research on teaching, including teaching with a word processor, peer response groups, mastery teaching, and teaching adolescents. (RS)

Describes one teacher's use of a "computer daybook"--an online journal that keeps track of students' progress in learning word processing and in grappling with the problems of writing. Lists several prompts useful for students beginning to learn word processing. (ARH)

Reviews several word processing programs, a spell-check program, and a program to create computer programs. (EL)

Examines the implications of word processing technology for the English teacher. (JL)

Argues that much of the flurry of activity in schools involving computers is a computer con game. Tells how computers should be used for educational purposes and how teaching methods would change as a result. (EL)

Describes how word processing terminology can be usefully adapted for peer review writing tasks in which students try to help each other revise and improve their written work. Demonstrates this revision technique with specific examples. Outlines how teachers can institute the method in their writing activities. (HB)

Outlines the advantages of using microcomputers in producing high school newspapers--word processors permit the generation of columnar newspaper copy and encourage student revision--and suggests three necessary characteristics in computer hardware--a large memory, good software, and reliable technical assistance for handling problems. (MM)

Describes 10 changes in writing instruction (including changes in student attitudes toward revision and changes in the peer editing process) that are directly related to the introduction of the computer into the writing process. (MM)

Reviews research on the effect of computers on writing. Concludes that students will not automatically revise and write more successfully with a word processor, that students tend to submit papers with fewer mechanical errors using word processors, and that they enjoy writing more and may collaborate more. (RS)

Describes new sources in word processing, proofreading, and text editing that can be used in hands-on computer sessions, analyzing writing samples for and with students. (MM)