The article reviews word processing software and software to build keyboarding skills, as used with students needing to improve their mastery of the writing process. Criteria for selection of word processing programs are discussed and specific word processing programs are compared. Instructional suggestions are offered. (DB)

The Advanced Computing/Management Training Program at Jordan Technical Center (Sandy, Utah) simulates an automated office to teach five sets of skills: computer architecture and operating systems, word processing, data processing, communications skills, and management principles. (SK)

Reviews the potential of word processors for changing the ways in which students process written text and think about writing. Three levels of computer-aided writing are considered: simple word processors; computer-aided writing programs; and higher-level computer-aided processing; and improvements in writing quality. (41 references) (LRW)

Presents 48 annotations of journal articles reporting research on using computers to teach technical and business writing published between 1984 and 1990. Arranges it to assist teachers in incorporating this research in the classroom. Covers past research, effect of computers on student attitudes, use of word processors, collaborative writing with…

Compares Singapore students' composing behaviors and abilities in (1) hand-written and (2) computer essays using a spelling checker. Results indicate that the spelling checker benefits those students whose initial writing ability is poor and whose writing is blocked by an emphasis on the mechanical aspects of writing. (Author/AEF)

Examines data from three surveys of undergraduates at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst that were collected over a five-year period to uncover the nature and source of change in students' computer use and ownership. Results show personal ownership rising, use of word processing and email increasing. (Contains 9 references.) (Author/LRW)

Recent developments in personal computers will affect the teaching of reading and writing because they offer capabilities that simply were not possible before. For example, an information storage and retrieval system, developed as a "library" for elementary school children, allows them to store and retrieve information under different…

While the use of computers in college classrooms and writing labs has benefited some students of writing, these benefits have not been as pronounced for basic or English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) writing students. Operating computers requires motor and mnemonic skills that complicate the task of writing, especially for basic or ESL students, and…

This manual provides teachers with learning activities designed to improve their use of computer applications and to facilitate the integration of computers into the curriculum. Step-by-step instructions for AppleWorks allow hands-on experience in the following applications: (1) formatting disks and getting started in general; (2) word processing,…

To determine whether basic writers revise more successfully using word processors as opposed to pen and paper, a study investigated the quality of revision of approximately 100 college basic writers in three classes at a southern university. In the fall semester, word processors were used in each of the three classes once every two weeks. In the…

Writing groups can use word processors or microcomputers in many different types of writing activities. Four hour-long sessions at a word processor with the help of a skilled word processing tutor have been found to be sufficient to provide a working knowledge of word processing. When two or three students enrolled in a writing class are assigned…

A study examined whether the use of word processors would enhance the amount and quality of students' revisions. Subjects, 28 high school sophomores and juniors enrolled in a special class for interested writers, met twice a week for 60 minutes in either a computer laboratory (experimental group) or in a regular classroom (control group). Findings…

To test the argument that writing instructors should not teach word processing skills in computer-assisted composition classes, two qualitative studies were conducted. In the first study, three basic writers, two native speakers and one non-native speaker in a word processing/composition class at The Ohio State University were each extensively…

To learn more about the initial effects of word processing on essay-writing performance and on writing apprehension, eight English instructors at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York, conducted a one-semester controlled experiment with freshmen in eight randomly selected college writing classes. Eighty students wrote essays using terminals…

This report reviews Apple computer courseware in business education, library skills, mathematics, science, special education, and word processing based on the curricular requirements of Alberta, Canada. It provides detailed evaluations of 23 authorized titles in business education (2), mathematics (20), and science (1); 3 of the math titles are…