Discusses creativity and the teacher's importance in providing a context that encourages creative thought. Contrasts the author's success in teaching technical writing to college juniors and seniors with her experiences in using the Macintosh personal computer to teach first year composition. Notes that computers alone cannot stimulate creativity.…

Presents a nine-assignment sequence that has students engage three interconnected problems of writing and word processing. (SR)

Considers ways in which writers use word processing packages. Analyzes the benefits and obstacles of such packages. Suggests that ease of revision can be both an advantage and a disadvantage. Observes that the limited ability to view an entire word-processed document inhibits critical reading. Argues that word processing technologies must be…

Presents teaching variations with a word-processing package and related tools that enable teachers to develop different computer-writing pedagogies for their distinct contexts: traditional classroom, computer lab, or some combination of both. Emphasizes that teachers who re-envision teaching with regard to available technology can create dynamic…

Provides a brief history of research in word processing and writing, describes the use of word processing as a writing aid, and discusses the problems and issues in research design in the area of word processing instruction. (MG)

Presents findings from 18 reviewed studies with regard to attitude and the quality of writing performance. Discusses pedagogy and the problem of defining basic writers. Suggests research directions that can help move educators toward a new pedagogy. (MG)

Notes regular use of computers for writing over an extended period of time has a positive impact on the quantity and quality of student writing. Examines how teaching and learning change when three fourth-grade classrooms are equipped with one AlphaSmart (a portable writing device) for each student. Finds increased use of AlphaSmart by students…

Shows how style and usage checkers can be used in writing exercises that encourage a recursive pattern of student revision. Looks at several instructional design ideas that can create "process-centered" revision software that appears heuristic, contextual, and interactive. (RS)

Describes a writing program that addresses adult students' limited access to computers and the program's effect on a pilot group of students. Offers some preliminary conclusions about the effects of computer availability on teaching methodology. (MS)