Wilhelm is a vocal advocate for the substantive integration of technology into language arts classes in ways that support the "critical" use of technologies and the learning of new concepts and procedures for reading and composing. He makes the case that no one can be considered fully literate without a familiarity with and appreciation for our…

This article presents the results of the initial stage of research on grades 4-8 teachers' writing instruction within rural and urban contexts across Canada. Teachers' goals and their use of digital technologies and multimedia are examined within rural and urban schools in five eastern provinces. Through half-hour telephone interviews with 54…

This curriculum guide provides instructional materials for an 8-week course to enable students to see themselves as computer users and writers and to encourage them to take an active rather than a passive role. For each pair of weeks, this information is provided: goal, objective(s), tools, and actions (descriptions of activities for teachers…

Outlines strategies for running a successful faculty workshop dealing with computers, such as: (1) make participation optional; (2) focus only on what an instructor needs to know to write and teach using a computer; (3) give word processing instruction individually; (4) present computer uses as possibilities, not as correct answers; and (5)…

Eight papers making up Track VI of the 1989 conference of the Professional Association for the Management of Information Technology in Higher Education (known as CAUSE, an acronym of the association's former name) are presented in this document. The focus of Track VI is on academic computing issues, and the papers include: "Loan-a-Mac: A…

Provides a real-life scenario of one teacher who sought to cope with the technology of using computers to teach writing. Looks at some reasons why teachers feel they have failed and suggests several staff development strategies that may make the computer learning process less stressful and more successful for a teacher new to technology. (MG)

The study investigated the motivational effects of computer technology on writing instruction and performance of 5th-grade students. The participants (students and instructors) were engaged in preparatory sessions to take the Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) test. Questionnaires on instructor observations and attitudes toward…

While teachers of writing and related disciplines have become increasingly convinced of the value of computers in classrooms, there have also been reports of obstacles that arise when innovating with computers and word processing in the schools. Educators must determine whether the problems are mere inconveniences or potential barriers to the…

Declares the need to train teachers to use computers in reading and language arts and describes a training program used with undergraduate education majors at the State University of New York at Geneseo. (SRT)

This handbook combines the experience and advice of pioneers in computer-enhanced instruction in colleges and high schools across the United States and documents the scope of the problem of teacher access to training by describing the results of a survey of teacher educators conducted in November 1985. The first section of the book describes 12…

A practicum was designed to increase the utilization of seldom-used computers by the writing class in a small rural community high school in the eastern United States through teacher and student education. Through a collaborative team effort of computer-competent teachers and students, an in-service program was developed to teach the basic use of…

Describes a classroom e-mail project conducted during the 1996-97 school year in a southern suburban school. The project involved three fourth grade teachers and their students, and was developed collaboratively among faculty at a nearby university, the principal, and the fourth grade teachers. Reports on the project's activities, problems…

This paper describes the experiences of a non-technologically oriented composition instructor who began a writing course that incorporated online computer technology. Following the Northridge (California) earthquake in 1994, the administration at California State University Northridge (CSUN) recognized the importance of creating electronic…

Reports on a study of the writing skills of 51 Italian fourth graders who used word processors for several months. Concludes that word processing can help motivate children and teachers to do more writing and that further improvement in writing skills would occur if the children received writing instruction. (CFR)

This report describes a strategy for infusing computer technology into the essay composition process in order to enhance student achievement. The targeted population consisted of freshman high school students in a middle class community in central Illinois. Problems related to the use of computer technology in the learning process were documented…