The rapid adoption of computers for story writing by the mass media revolutionized some aspects of the journalistic art. A survey of journalism programs assessed the spread of computer technology from the newsrooms to its college and university journalism classrooms. Of the 271 institutions responding to the survey, 220 had adopted computers and…

Discusses the role of writing equipment in the composing process and suggests that contemporary composing process theory and practice was not possible until the mid-twentieth century following certain technological advancements in writing equipment. (FL)

Designed to condense the material in a wide range of articles about computers and composition, this bibliographical review on computer use in composition is preceded by brief discussions of current pedagogical theory on composition instruction and of the directions in which computing in composition appear to be developing. The reviews contain…

Writing instructors teaching in computer classrooms recognize that the goals and content of these writing courses have changed since precomputer days. While the emphasis is still on writing, skills related to producing texts in electronic environment are also being taught. Technology is changing the nature of writing instruction, the writing…

Because of dramatic changes in the technology of communication systems in business, industry, government, and the professions, college graduates are no longer writing the way they were taught to write. Instead of being physically engaged in a recursive pen-in-hand process, they are dictating their communications for word processing systems. A…

The shift from limited-capacity personal computers to powerful workstation technology offers an environment for writing instruction that allows networking, simultaneous performance of many tasks, and tools for designing custom lessons and individual applications. At Allegheny College (Pennsylvania), a first-year writing course is supported…

Recent developments in personal computers will affect the teaching of reading and writing because they offer capabilities that simply were not possible before. For example, an information storage and retrieval system, developed as a "library" for elementary school children, allows them to store and retrieve information under different…

Four overlapping areas of exploration have sparked creative thought about computers and their relationship to writing. The area receiving the most attention is computers and writing pedagogy. Some of the directions taken by research in this area have focused on computers and the composing process; computers, writing instruction, and learning…

Argues that it is the responsibility of writing program administrators to determine computers' role in writing instruction. Explores three ways in which computers significantly affect writing instruction: (1) dialogue and collaboration among students increase; (2) students' access to information increases; and (3) the perception and creation of…

The tools of writing have changed as technology has become more advanced. In fact, the contributions of the microcomputer are already beginning to make print and paper technology appear primitive. The book is at a disadvantage since it stores and displays the information, whereas the microchip stores while the computer displays. Because of this…

A study examined whether computers equipped with speech synthesis devices could facilitate children's writing. It was hypothesized that children using the devices would write longer stories, edit more, and produce higher quality stories than children not receiving feedback from a speech synthesizer. Subjects were 48 children, three girls and three…

The English teaching profession must accept the fact that the new paradigm for composition involves microcomputers and word processors, and as such calls for a somewhat different set of skills on the part of both students and teachers. The "text editor" can lessen the effects of some physical and psychological constraints on students,…

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…

Most of the essays in this collection originated as presentations at the University of California, Los Angeles, Conference on Computers and Writing, held in May 1985. Issues addressed in the volume range from concrete, practical considerations (such as designing classroom exercises) to political and theoretical ones (such as the instructor's…

This report provides information concerning the five goals of the Burroughs B20 microcomputer project in the College of Education at the University of Nevada-Reno: (1) to improve the computer literacy of classroom teachers and increase their general awareness of developing computer technology; (2) to enhance student writing across curricula; (3)…