Understanding spoken words involves a rapid mapping from speech to conceptual representations. One distributed feature-based conceptual account assumes that the statistical characteristics of concepts' features--the number of concepts they occur in ("distinctiveness/sharedness") and likelihood of co-occurrence ("correlational…

Surveys British academics. Reveals a divide between writers who favor a word processor as their main writing tool and those who favor the pen or pencil. Finds that word processors are both indirect and delayed. Suggests that educators may need to legitimate handwritten drafts or reversion to handwriting for some word-processor users. (RS)

Presents the results of a recent survey of microcomputer use in economics departments in United Kingdom universities and polytechnic schools. The BBC B and IBM PC were the first and second most popular machines, respectively. Eighty-five per cent of the use was secretarial with Wordstar and Wordwise being the most popular word processing packages.…

Five Birmingham (England) schools took part in a project to bring word processors/processing to secondary schools. Topics discussed related to this project include staff training, factors related to word processor selection, hardware repair/maintenance, keyboard training, and others. Reports from word processor users and a list of course…

Describes a teacher's use of the word processor to help students improve their attitudes toward writing and their abilities in writing. (ARH)

Two sets of secondary students (n=26) were interviewed about attitudes toward writing after using laptop word processors. Handwriting remained popular and quicker for most writing tasks; neither planning nor constructive reflection on language were enhanced; typing speeds remained very slow; and the connotations of "writing" were…

Through a review of a number of surveys and research reports, an overview was prepared of the implications of increasing office technology on industry and educational requirements in the United Kingdom. The review found that business and industry are involved in an increasingly rapid change to new equipment and that the distinctions between…

This article offers a British perspective on ways that information technology can help pupils with specific learning difficulties to overcome problems with handwriting, spelling, and structured writing. (DB)

Discusses a study that investigated the use of word processing for literacy teaching in primary schools in Great Britain. Considers the use of word processing and the attempts to integrate other information and communication technologies into schools; enhancing the curriculum; and shifting focus away from technology and toward the development of…

Computers have a place within the teaching of English. Specifically, the computer can promote collaborative talk and learning in the context of simulations, word processing, and information handling. (Author/CH)

This column describes British technological aids that can support children with communication and writing difficulties, including (1) writing aids such as predictive typing, abbreviation expansion systems, and alternative keyboards; and (2) socially interactive communication aids such as synthetic speech using portable computers. (JDD)

Describes a project that examined electronic publishing techniques in areas of scientific and technical information and assessed the impact in West Germany. Topics covered include the stages of the publication process and case studies in two fields: publishers' and authors' reactions; and a tour of publishing companies in Great Britain. (three…

Discussion of humanities research focuses on activities of the British Library Research and Development Department (BLRDD), particularly the Humanities Information Review Panel. The influence of technology on humanities research is considered, including word processing, greater availability of computer networks, and the online public access…

Three articles discuss teacher training and the use of microcomputers in elementry and secondary school curriculums. Highlights include microcomputers in British primary schools; the University of Chicago School Math Project; computer training for teachers in Iceland; learning and educational change; and introducing elementary school teachers to…

This book, which is designed for nonspecialist literacy teachers and lecturers, provides an overview of the role of computers in literacy, language, and communication. The preface includes selected views regarding the relationship between literacy, culture, and change and the essay "Domains of Literacy" by Gunther Kress. Discussed next…