Word processors and writing-process software: Introduction and evaluation

摘要

The first part of this review is dedicated to the most common type of computerbased writing tool — the word processor. Features commonly required by the majority of users were discussed to acquaint new or prospective users with the extraordinary utility of word processors and describe the components of the included evaluation form, which was designed to provide a standardized software examination and rating instrument for prospective personal or educational use.In the second section, the evaluation instrument was applied to the word-processing software used by contributing researchers to provide detailed descriptions of each package for informational and comparison purposes.The final section describes two prime examples of writing process software. The first — Writer's Helper — belongs to a genre of computer-based writing tools that seem to hold some promise of helping students leam the prewriting and rewriting techniques necessary for increased writing proficiency. The second — Writing To Read — is a computer-based writing system developed to help young children leam to read through writing.This article provides an overview of the two types of computer software — word processing and writing process — currently being promoted as useful tools for writing instruction. The evaluation instruments, software descriptions, and research findings presented elsewhere in this special issue should help educators find software packages that satisfy their professional computer-based writing-instruction requirements and also any idiosyncratic personal needs.