Computer Aided Writing

This book deals with "Computer Aided Writing", CAW for short. The contents of that is a sector of Knowledge based technics and Knowledge Management. The role of Knowledge Management in social media, education and Industry 4.0 is out of question. More important is the expectation of combining Knowledge Management and Cognitive Technology, which needs more and more new innovations in this field to face recent problems in social and technological areas. The book is intended to provide an overview of the state of research in this field, show the extent to which computer assistance in writing is already being used and present current research contributions. After a brief introduction into the history of writing and the tools that were created, the current developments are examined on the basis of a formal writing model. Tools such as word processing and content management systems will be discussed in detail. The special form of writing, "journalism", is used to examine the effects of Computer Aided Writing. We dedicate a separate chapter to the topic of research, since it is of essential importance in the writing process. With Knowledge Discovery from Text (KDT) and recommendation systems we enter the field of Knowledge Management in the context of Computer Aided Writing. Finally, we will look at methods for automated text generation before giving a final outlook on future developments.

It is often the case - perhaps more often than not - that new ideas arrive long before there is the me ans to clothe and deli ver them. We can think ofLeonardo da Vinci's drawings of helicopters and submarines among many other examples. Computer-Assisted Learning (CAL) is an example of an idea which has had a particularly long gestation. As I will illustrate early in the book, the principles of CAL were really first discovered by Socrates. As a formal method of teaching, the Socratic method disappeared for over two millennia until the 1950s. It was then revived in the form ofProgrammed Learning (PL) which resulted from the researches ofB. F. Skinner at Harvard University. Even then, PL was premature. In the 1950s and 60s, methods were devised, such as teaching machines and various sorts ofPL text books, and there was a mushrooming of PL publishing at that time. For a complex of reason- economic, logistical and technical-PL also largely disappeared from the mid- 60s, although it continued in a few specialized areas ofteaching and industrial training. However, during the same period, PL quietly transformed itselfinto CAL. But the computerized form was not capable of mass dissemination until recently hecause personal microcomputers did not have sufficient internal memory sizes. That situation has now changed very dramatically and 128K microcomputers are becoming cheap and widely available. Cheap memory chips of256K and 1024K cannot be far away, either.

Marjorie Montague provides both the philosophical and theoretical background for research in computer-assisted composition, as well as a comprehensive review and synthesis of the efficacy research in this area. She focuses on effective writing instruction for elementary, secondary, and special needs students, and she proposes a model in which the teacher and the computer are viewed as compatible instructional agents within a microcomputer learning environment.

This volume includes insights into, and reflections about, different perspectives of the relationship between L2 writing and technology with particular emphasis on the writing process, development of linguistic skills, development of writing competencies and literacy, educational approaches to writing, as well as task creation and assessmetn in diverse writing contexts. In this regards, the chapters incorporate the recognition of a connection between the fields of second language writing, pedagogy, second language acquisition, and CALL emphasizing the need for technological innovation and integration to be built upon a strong pedagogical and research-based foundation.

Presenting a comprehensive look at (and critical history of) computer-aided composition (CAC), this book focuses on faculty development of software for composition studies. The book describes who is building these writing tools, how they are doing so, how their work is being received, and what is likely to affect their efforts in the future. Chapters in the book are: (1) Introduction; (2) Understanding Computer Software; (3) The "Who" and "How" of CAC Software Development; (4) Forces that Impact CAC Software Design; and (5) CAC Software Design and the New Literacy. A brief description of 13 software programs mentioned in the book and samples of program interfaces are appended. (Contains over 200 references.) (RS)

Computers are gradually infiltrating all stages of the writing process. Increasingly, teachers, writers, students, software developers, technical authors, and computer scientists need to learn more about the effective use of computers for writing. This book discusses how computers can help support writing. It explores the issues associated with using computers to train and help writers, concentrating on computational and user aspects and reviewing practical, economic and institutional issues. Noel Williams balances theoretical and practical concerns, to meet the needs of researchers and practising trainers of writing. There is also a brief evaluation available software products, together with advice about the major considerations and pitfalls of working on custom-made software. The book is based on five years of research by the Communication and Information Research Group (CIRG) at Sheffield City Polytechnic into the value of computer-based approaches to training and helping writers. The work was funded and supported by the Training Agency, IBM, AT&T, Rolls Royce, NAB and GEC. The Computer, the Writer and the Learner is for people who are using, or are thinking of using, computers to teach or support writing, and for designers of computer-based writing systems. Many such people are unaware of the nature and use of existing systems, and of the possibilities they offer. Developers often lack detailed knowledge of other projects and of the range of users' needs. Although the bias of the book is towards the teacher, trainer and student, most of the content deals with issues that developers will want to know about.

This incisive study examines the uses of computers and telecommunications in the teaching of writing in the fields of journalism and education. The research, based on the results of a questionnaire submitted to college journalism and communication programs in the United States, focuses on the current and projected use of computers and deals with such innovations as the use of online information services (newswires and archives, encyclopedias, statistical source), computer resident reference aids (thesaurus, dictionaries, style books), networking for instructor and student convenience, and software offering a variety of assists (spelling and grammar checks, readability analyses, stylistic assessments, minor editing suggestion, simulation of research for story writing, and instructor assistance in grading). In addition, the author concludes that desktop publishing will be the next technology-based expansion of communications curricula, in light of the recent availability of page design layout with provisions for type fonts, graphics, and bidirectional justification. It is often said that the software industry will mature as developers improve in knowledge of their markets; Computer Assisted Writing Instruction in Journalism and Professional Education describes that market and concludes that computer assisted writing instruction is an integral part of professional writing programs with many applications yet to come. It will be of primary value to educators planning, managing, or teaching in computer assisted writing laboratories concentrating on professional training. It will also be immensely useful to educators developing beginning level writing laboratories, and those individuals and companies developing software for writing instruction or textbooks for computer-based courses.

This compilation of articles on computer applications in writing instruction deals with the areas of prewriting, editing and grammar, word processing research and applications, and programs for the writing process. It contains the following papers: "Recollections of First-Generation Computer-Assisted Prewriting," by Hugh Burns; "Computer-Based Creative Problem Solving." by Dawn Rodrigues and Raymond J. Rodrigues; "SEEN: A Tutorial and User Network for Hypothesis Testing," by Helen Schwartz; "Improving Students' Revising and Editing: The Writer's Workbench System" by Kathleen Kiefer and Charles Smith; "HOMER: Teaching Style with a Microcomputer," by Michael Cohen and Richard Lanham; "The COMP-LAB Writing Modules: Computer-Assisted Grammar Instruction," by Michael Southwell;"Integrating Computers into a Writing Curriculum; or, Buying, Begging, and Building," by Lillian Bridwell and Donald Ross; "Real-Time Gadgets with Feedback: Special Effects in Computer-Assisted Writing," by Stephen Marcus; "Can the Computer Stimulate Writers' Inner Dialogues?," by Colette Daiute; "Questions, Answers, and Automated Writing," by William Wresch; "WANDAH: Writing-Aid AND Author's Helper," by Ruth Von Blum and Michael Cohen; "Wordsworth II: Process-Based CAI for College Composition Teachers," by Cynthia Selfe; and "Toward the Design of a Flexible, Computer-Based Writing Environment," by Christine Neuwirth. It also contains an annotated bibliography and a glossary of computer terms. (CRH)