This study investigated student preferences for either teacher-written or computer-generated marking of written compositions. Ninety-seven high school students typed assigned compositions on a word processor. Three skills pre-selected by the teacher were checked on each composition. Students were randomly assigned to treatments so that, on the…

This collection of articles focuses on the use of word processing software programs as instructional tools for students learning writing composition. Section 1 discusses the use of word processors as a composition tools within the process model of writing instruction and includes articles entitled "Should Students Use Spelling Checkers?,""A Recipe…

This curriculum guide is designed to assist teachers and supervisors in introducing lower elementary students to the MS DOS computer and the word processing program PC Write. Accompanying this guide are two program disks: PC Write, which is a public domain word processing program and Disk Care, which reinforces rules for caring for disks. The…

The purpose of this guide is to explain how to use computers to promote the development of effective learning and thinking skills. The emphasis in this discussion of computer assisted instruction is on the social side of learning rather than the technical aspects of using computers. Chapter titles are: (1) "A Strategies Approach to Effective…

For use by teachers with access to writing centers, this guide provides criteria for choosing appropriate computer software for writing centers and lists current choices of good software. The first section explains why teachers, who have direct experience with the needs of students and the objectives of writing instruction, are the most qualified…

Thirteen classroom teachers took a graduate course, "Writing with Computers: Teaching the Academically Able," during an intensive 3-week session. The teachers were all seeking certification and/or masters degrees in gifted education. Only seven of them had used computers in their classrooms and most of the seven stressed that they did…

Papers on libraries for disadvantaged people presented at the 1986 International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) conference include: (1) "The Hearing Impaired Persons and Libraries--The Status Quo in Japan" (Shuuichi Matsunobu, Japan); (2) "A Production System of Captioned Video Tapes Using Japanese Word Processors"…

To learn more about the impact of word processing on the writing of college freshmen, a 2-year study involving 320 students of average writing ability investigated whether (1) students using word processors write significantly better than those who do not; (2) manipulating and improving sentences on a screen affects students' awareness of grammar,…

To make learning about various forms of poetry more interesting to high school students, this paper presents ideas based on an example and precept method of teaching instead of an analysis and explication method. In an introductory section, the paper explains how students will produce a poetry portfolio consisting of 10 or 12 types of poems such…

Designed to assist educational researchers in utilizing microcomputers, this paper presents information on four types of computer software: writing tools for educators, statistical software designed to perform analyses of small and moderately large data sets, project management tools, and general education/research oriented information services…

In the area of composition, computer assisted instruction (CAI) must move beyond the limited concerns of the current-traditional rhetoric to address the larger issues of writing, become process-centered, and involve active writing rather than answering multiple-choice questions. Researchers cite four major types of interactive CAI, the last of…

This paper presents a descriptive review of how the Provost's Office of the College of Letters and Science at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) implemented 330 microcomputers in the 34 academic departments from July 1984 through June 1986. The decision to implement stand-alone microcomputers was based on four concerns: increasing…

Reading, writing, and computing, which are interrelated and can thrive on each other for literacy and intellectual growth, are in the process of becoming linked in instructional practice. As reading and writing become more demanding, their task is eased with computer use. The computer seems to provide the connection between composing,…

The English department faculty training program at Purdue University-Calumet, Indiana, designed a program that would provide their entire staff with the skills necessary to use computer-assisted instruction and word processing to teach all levels of writing. Phase one of the program was a semester-long class designed for regular faculty, beginner…

The 2-year study investigated the use of word processing technology with 36 learning disabled (LD) intermediate grade children and 9 remedial teachers in five Massachusetts school districts. During the first year study staff documented how word processing was being used. In the second year, word processing activities hypothesized to be the most…