It is noted that there is some expectation that the word processor may soon become an effective tool to teach writing but that there is debate on this issue. Three educators present their views in separate statements and within the context of a group discussion. (MP)

The aim of this field study was to assess the impact of word processors on teaching business and secretarial subjects in higher education, by determining the extent to which they are already used, and investigating the availability of equipment for teaching purposes. An additional aim was to learn the extent and methods of staff training. (Author)

This article focuses on research findings concerning the relationship between young children's computer use in the classroom and constructivist education. Three ways of using computers emerged: computers as books or workbooks; computers for word processing; and computer programming of graphics. It was concluded that word processing was most…

Investigates the effects of word processing on student's compositions to untangle the seemingly contradictory findings of earlier research. Finds that students are increasing their fluidity and fluency while simultaneously failing to organize and focus their increased verbiage. (RS)

Presents five articles that consider computer keyboarding instruction at the elementary school level. Highlights include keyboard familiarization techniques that do not require a computer; integrating keyboarding skills into the rest of the curriculum; and Type-Right, an inexpensive laptop computer dedicated to teaching keyboarding. (LRW)

Describes Project Write which uses a hierarchy of critical thinking skills in the formation of concepts and theories. Describes how students use computers to brainstorm, categorize, verify, sequence story details, and create a main idea and conclusion for their expository writing. (RS)

Describes how a class of 13 academically average high school students, inspired by an earlier article in this journal, collaboratively wrote a story. Notes that the students continued to revise their story even after it came back from the printers. (RS)

A study compared the effectiveness of teaching word processing using computer-based tutorial (26 students) versus using a textbook (30 students). Found that (1) the achievement outcomes of the 2 methods were equally effective, (2) student attitudes toward word processing were not affected by the method, and (3) no substantial relationships existed…

The study compared stories written on either a word processor or handwritten by 15 children (ages 8-12) with learning disabilities. Use of the word processor resulted in fewer spelling errors for children with severe spelling problems and longer stories for children having problems with the mechanics of the writing task. (Author/DB)

Examines the contexts of human-computer interaction, and argues that understanding word-processing research done in that setting can enrich thinking about the impact of teaching writing with the use of computers. Suggests issues developed in recent word-processing studies that may interest future researchers. (KEH)

Writing strategies encourage beginning writers to collect, explore, and focus ideas. This paper presents a rationale for fusing the word processor with the writing process and offers a series of pre-writing strategies, such as brainstorming, clustering and chunk writing, to help learning-disabled writers begin writing. (Author/PB)

Examines several aspects of word processing and desktop publishing, focusing on hardware and software selection. (MM)

Describes a one-semester academic composition course in the English curriculum of Amarillo Independent Schools, Texas. Discusses the advantages of incorporating computer technology into the course. (MM)

Describes three writing activities designed to link literature, technology, and the visual and performing arts. (MM)

Examines the effects of word processing on writing quality and the amount of text produced by basic writers. Finds that students using computers wrote more, but that there was no difference in quality between those who used a word processor and those who did not. (MS)