Describes the advantages of using computers during the invention stage of composition. Discusses programs designed for that purpose and explores characteristics of an ideal prewriting computer program. (HTH)

The incorporation of microcomputers into the traditional English classroom is currently in a transitional phase. Each new use of the computer affords teachers new possibilities for teaching approaches, and the succession of uses already employed suggests that each experiment increases the distance from traditional methods. This can be illustrated…

Research about writing and the teaching of writing has demonstrated that writing is a process, that thinking and writing are inextricably connected, that workshop and tutorial methods are more efficient than teacher or textbook dominated instruction in writing, and that correctness does not have to be a major concern in the teaching of writing.…

Describes interactive computer software programs that develop prewriting, word processing, and revising skills. (MM)