Microcomputers have many cost- and time-saving uses in school transportation management. Applications include routing and scheduling, demographic analysis, fleet maintenance, and personnel and contract management. Word processing is especially promising for storing and updating documents like specifications. Enrollment forecasting and inventory…

Points out that word processing can be integrated into special education programs and that teachers can gain confidence in their ability to teach word processing to special education students. Inservice programs and effects of word processing instruction on special education students are among the topics addressed. (DH)

Discusses print quality, speed, print modes, buffers, and character sets of daisy-wheel and dot-matrix printers; briefly reviews features needed to print graphics and color; and presents a chart listing over 30 typical daisy-wheel and dot-matrix printers for comparison of features and price. (MBR)

A preliminary classroom study is reported in which learning disabled intermediate students participated in a holistic approach that combined the process approach to writing with the word processing capabilities of the microcomputer. Results suggested that improved written language skills on the computer transfer to pencil-and-paper tasks. (CL)

Describes the advantages of computerizing a school's office. Computers save time, boost worker productivity, and, in the end, save money. (MD)

Offers suggestions for use in evaluating word processing programs for writing instruction. Provides an evaluation form. (FL)

Discussion of database integration and how it operates includes recommendations on compatible brand name word processing and database management programs, and a checklist for evaluating essential and desirable features of the available programs. (MBR)

Describes the application of a specific word processor to acquisitions fund accounting and reporting functions at Rice University's Fondren Library. Encumbrance of firm orders, preparing budget reports, math calculations, ledger format (for each fund), report format (summarizes overall fund activity), and the value of word processors are…

Discusses the drawbacks of computer assisted instruction in the composition classroom. (FL)

Suggests slyly that, while word processors may have increased writing speed, they cannot ensure improved writing quality. (MM)

Discounts Collier's study of the effect of computer-based text editors on the quality of students' revision, arguing that editing is not an innate skill and that the computer predictably would not improve upon a process with which the students are not familiar. Collier replies that he excluded several methodological alternatives to reduce the…

Research indicates that people tend to use only five percent of the capabilities available in word processing software. The major objective of this study was to determine to what extent word processing was used by businesses, what competencies were required by those businesses, and how those competencies were being learned in Mid-South states. A…

Recently, the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) changed by including a writing section that gives the examinee an option between computer and handwritten formats to compose their responses. Unfortunately, this may introduce several potential sources of error that might reduce the reliability and validity of the scores. The seriousness…

Recently, the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) changed by including a direct writing assessment where examinees choose between computer and handwritten composition formats. Unfortunately, examinees may have differential access to and comfort with computers; as a result, scores across these formats may not be comparable. Analysis of…

Noting that technology is rapidly changing how people write, and why, this book explores the types of computer-mediated writing that can be undertaken by students of all ages and abilities, from elementary school through the university, both within and outside the classroom. It addresses such issues as whether there are computer programs that…