The controversy over appropriate educational uses of computers is framed along a continuum based on the amount of support provided to the user. Software programs in which the user's role is to respond in a pre-determined structure (program controlled software) anchors one end of the continuum, while software which empowers the user to create new ways to use the computer (user control software) anchors the other end. Both positions in the controversy are too static. An alternative position is proposed: a process of educational software use in which the amount of assistance provided by the computer is systematically decreased as novices gain expertise. This principle, termed "dynamic support," applies to students learning to write and to teachers learning to incorporate computers into their classrooms. (21 references) (Author/GL)