Describes a case study that was designed to discover how seventh-grade students felt about writing when composed using a word processing program compared to using pen and paper. Student and teacher interviews are discussed, classroom observations are reported, and factors students found important to enjoyment of writing assignments are described.…

Reviews Monsters and Make-Believe Plus, a computer program which supports learners in their quest to become skilled language users. Finds it to be one of the most powerful software programs available to implement a whole language program. (MG)

Describes the use of computer labs in a Texas high school. Highlights include word processing; a study skills course; software programs currently in use by English and English-as-a-Second-Language classes; physical layout, including security considerations and furniture; hardware, including printers; and guidelines for the selection of software.…

Suggests four overlapping areas of exploration that might help spark "creative re-formations" of the way English teachers think about computers and their relationship to writing: (1) computers and teaching writing, (2) computers and language theory, (3) computers and learning from the past, and (4) computer research in other fields. (GEA)

The integration of text analysis programs into realistic classroom writing activities was examined in a study of 39 university students. English-as-a-foreign-language students' own revision processes, teachers' feedback, peer editing, and two commercial packages (Grammatik and Complete Writer's Toolkit) were assessed. Attitudes toward the programs…

Examines some of the ways word processing functions as a tool for beginning writers by focusing on one five-year-old student's progress in composition and understanding of the activity of writing. Writing task, writer skill, learning context, and software capacity intersected in a way that word processing functioned as a felicitous tool. (SM)

Examines the effects of word processing on high school seniors' writing and revisions of essay assignments. Length of papers, the impact of topic on the results, the effect of handwriting papers after computer composition, comparison of writing methods over time, and effects of typing ability and computer experience are discussed. (Contains eight…

Describes a study of undergraduates completing electronic mail and word processing tasks that investigated the effects of experience on attitudes toward computers and judgment of confidence, or self-efficacy. Use of the Computer Technologies Survey is discussed, and treatment of experimental and control groups is described. Survey instrument and…

This column describes British technological aids that can support children with communication and writing difficulties, including (1) writing aids such as predictive typing, abbreviation expansion systems, and alternative keyboards; and (2) socially interactive communication aids such as synthetic speech using portable computers. (JDD)

Describes a study of undergraduates at West Virginia University that was conducted to investigate the effects of computer-based instruction on writing performance and writing apprehension. Computer anxiety is measured, appropriate software is discussed, and the quality of pretreatment and posttreatment essays are compared with essays written…

Reviewed are six computer software packages including "Invisible Bugs,""Chaos Plus...,""The Botanist's Apprentice,""A Baby is Born," Storyboard Plus-Version 2.0," and "Weather." Hardware requirements, functions, performance, and use in the classroom are discussed. (CW)

Describes a pilot project at the Muncie (Indiana) Public Library that was developed to teach disadvantaged children basic Internet and writing skills. Topics include the need for reading and writing abilities and information-literacy skills; learning processes; computer skills; word-processing skills; and report-writing skills using a template.…

Describes four computer-assisted Japanese language and culture projects using word processing and the World Wide Web conducted in a college-level third-year Japanese class, and reports on the impact of the projects as assessed by student pre- and postquestionnaires, reflective comments from students, and instructors' reflective observation notes.…

Writing, an essential part of every young child's school life, is a complex affair involving cognitive, affective, and psychomotor elements. Most children learn to write, with varying degrees of success, and every school has children who can be classified as nonwriters. Some children are inhibited and frustrated by writing and are put off by the…

Keyboarding as writing apparatus is an essential skill in the technological era and more self-regulated learners perform better in keyboarding than less self-regulated learners. In order to indicate this, students registered at the Faculty of Arts for a compulsory keyboarding and word-processing course completed a questionnaire to identify both…