Word processing continues to be the focus in many classrooms, although more and more teachers now ask students to publish on the Web, engage in e-mail conversations regarding their reading and writing, create slide presentations that represent their learning, post to blog sites, etc. And while there is a growing body of research that supports…

Argues that having students use the outlining, prompting, and abstracting capabilities of word processing programs can help tighten their writing organization. (FL)

This final report discusses the outcomes of a 3-year project that studied the effectiveness of word processing tools in improving the literacy skills of students with learning disabilities in grades 4-12. In Year 1 (1994-95), four text entry strategies were compared in 132 students with learning disabilities: keyboarding instruction, alternative…

Reports a study of the initial effects of word processing on essay-writing performance and on writing apprehension. Concludes that college freshmen using word processing showed greater progress in writing performance from pre to post essay tests than did those using traditional methods, but they did not show significant difference in writing…

Reports in the ERIC database have found that computer-assisted writing instruction has some effect--if not a dramatic impact--in both the quantity and quality of student writing. Although computers are becoming more common in schools, the influx of computers into schools may not assure students ample opportunity to use them. Limited time-on-task…

The computer can improve writing instruction only if it is integrated into a systematic pedagogy that distinguishes between writing behavior and higher order cognitive skills. Underlying the present concern with the writing process is the behaviorist assumption that promoting a certain writing behavior can provoke thought. Unfortunately, while…

Argues that to use computers to help teach the writing process, English teachers must develop both short- and long-term plans for computer usage and must insist on helping to select their school's hardware and software. (MM)

This practical book integrates coverage of the writing process and various types of academic and professional documents with explanations and examples of using computers to enhance the process and produce effective documents. The book's four parts move from the individual writer who is using a computer to create a document to exchanges of data and…