When discussing "flaming" in relation to InterChange, it makes sense to look at two meanings of the word, to make the connection between the ardent and uncontrollable nature of the comments themselves and the flagrancy with which the electronic medium asserts itself. For some teachers, a "flaming" InterChange threatens their…

Discusses three types of synchronous writing environments, each offering teachers and students a vehicle for using electronic text to promote literacy-based learning communities: classroom collaboration, networked notetaking, and virtual communities. (SR)

Describes three main uses of computers for writing as a social activity: networking, telecommunications, and project work. Examines advantages and disadvantages of teaching writing on a network. Argues that reports in the literature and the example of an English as a foreign language writing class show that project work shares most of the…

Notes that, although networked writing classrooms are more egalitarian than non-networked classrooms, networks cannot prevent discrimination. Social identity theory, from social psychology, suggests that instructors must be careful when focusing courses on divisive social issues; the presentation of these issues can break down into binary…

For some reason, the idea of the nature writer at work in the open air has been exalted, and it is difficult to think that writing about nature might be compatible with computers, the ultimate indoor toy. However, for students learning to write about nature, a networked computer environment may be the best place to be, not for replacing the…

Discusses networking as a collaboration tool in the teaching of technical writing. Argues that some degree of collaboration is innate to all writing, that word processing already facilitates that collaboration, and that networking is the next enhancement to the collaborative process. (RS)

Describes computer conferencing as a particularly useful alternative to traditional approaches to teaching college composition. Gives a basic outline of how an instructor might utilize computer networks to set up a composition course. (HB)

Discusses the impact of word processing on the teaching of college composition at the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa. Describes seven design principles developed by writing teachers at the university in outlining a solution to the problem of how students can really work together collaboratively over a computer network. (RS)

Noting that the study of composition has been less affected by postmodern theory than other humanities and social science disciplines, this book assesses the study and teaching of writing against the larger theoretical, political, and technological upheavals of the past 30 years. The book addresses the theoretical debate about the "self"…

Offers a detailed lesson plan for a computer-equipped writing class, featuring the Daedalus Interchange program and a set of goals and activities for teaching synthesis, generalization, and the value of multiple "voices." (SR)

Employs three approaches in a summative evaluation of ENFI (Electronic Networks for Interaction), a local area network used to teach writing through the use of software that supports real-time communication. Suggests that the ENFI setting allows a writing teacher to more easily model the creation of a writing persona. (RS)

Exploring how new technologies and new pedagogies transform and are transformed by existing institutions, this book presents 14 essays that discuss network-based classrooms in which students use communications software on computer networks to converse in writing. The first part of the book discusses general themes and issues of the ENFI…

The authors document an experimental writing course that uses electronic networks to create an online classroom for writing instruction. They describe a typical class meeting and discuss the challenges and results of teaching in this new environment. (JOW)

Describes the technical, experiential, and systemic challenges encountered in computer-assisted writing classes. Discusses the gap between the theoretical benefits and the reality of computer-assisted writing instruction. Offers recommendations for teachers planning syllabi, assignments, and lesson plans for computer-assisted classes. (MM)

Observes two writing teachers, enthusiastic about computers, teaching for the first time in networked computer classrooms. Finds resistance to change attributable to unfamiliarity with hardware and software, the need to cope with print text and electronic text, and conflict between models of writing instruction brought to the facility and that…