_Writing With A Computer

Writing with a Computer: A Review
by Michael Palmquist and Donald Zimmerman
Allyn and Bacon, 1998, 269 pp.
ISBN: 0-205-27487-0   $29.75
Review by Dawn Rodrigues
University of Texas at Brownsville

Background    Sections     Best Features   Recommendations

Background
Faculty (and students) new to technology often learn more about Web page creation than about the capabilities of word processing. As readers of Writing with a Computerby Michael Palmquist and Donald Zimmerman demonstrate, writers rarely tap the potential of computers to provide support throughout the research and writing process. Can word processing strategies and related skills be omitted from our courses? Not without serious consequences and without limiting students' development, not only as writers but as budding professionals who need to understand the potential of technology in their lives and in their careers.
Word processing has become an invisible technology, so much a part of our writing lives that we overlook many of its capabilities. After reading Palmquist and Zimmerman's book, I took a quick mental journey to yesteryear, when all about word processing was new and exciting. I was reminded of all that began, then got pushed aside, as more compelling uses of technology came along. Word processing has become so familiar to us that we forget to re-evaluate its importance and re-assess just what components of word processing should be integrated into instruction. Yet it's time to do just that.
Writing with a Computer covers not only word processing, but also ways of locating and evaluating sources, tips for managing your desktop to create a writing environment, and even a chapter on ergonomics. That's right, ways to sit correctly and hold your fingers poised over the keyboard. If you want to be a lifelong writer, you'd better start doing these things right!

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Sections Features Covered in Each Section

Making Computers Part of Your Writing Process This section suggests strategies that writers can use as they work on developing their writing processes. Strategies include these:

using blind writing or looping as prewriting strategies

using multiple or split windows to support revision (overview in one window, section in another)

developing templates for information gathering (using tables)

browsing the Web for ideas

collecting boilerplates

using outline tools to organize before and during drafting

using styles effectively to call attention to parts of documents

reviewing documents with the ZOOM command

using color to highlight key sections

using the comments feature for annotating a document

using the summary tool to check organization

using the document comparison tool to support review

Editing

changing the document flagging feature to turn off automatic spell checking and document flagging

changing the default features of the grammar checking program

Format, Layout, and Document Design

selecting the appropriate font for your writing goals

changing the formatting of fonts

aligning text in columns

formatting paragraphs (including hanging indents)

using borders and color

developing a typographic style guide

Organizing and Gathering Information Online

overview of library catalogs, online databases, and the Web

suggestions on effective search strategies

saving search results to a file

ways to limit searches

creating, organizing, and annotating bookmarks

evaluating online information (particularly, the importance of understanding the purpose of a document and the source of an author's information)

Writing Faster, Organizing the Desktop

using commands rather than mouseclicks

using styles and document templates to make quick changes

using automatic formatting tools

using the goto button to navigate long documents

customizing colors, fonts, and keyboard commands

recycling sections of documents

Creating a Writing Environment & Keeping Your Computer Healthy

accessing files and folders

using passwords to protect files and folders

adjusting the physical writing environment

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Best Features
Some of the most helpful features of this book:

All the strategies for using a word processor as a drafting and reviewing tool, noted in the "Features Covered in Each Section" area, above.

An excellent discussion of grammar checkers that will help students understand why some teachers are reluctant to have students use them: students don't understand that language varies so much from discipline to discipline and that the conventions in a style checker are arbitrarily set. Nor do students understand that language changes over time and that some rules in the style checker are out of date.

An insightful checklist for evaluating Web resources, stressing the need to understand the purpose of the site and to examine the source of the evidence used by the author.

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Recommendations
Who can benefit from this book? Both experienced and novice writers can find ways into the book. If, as Zimmerman and Palmquist suggest, writers begin by examining their goals, then writers will know what they need to learn (and do) to support those goals. For novice writers who are just beginning to explore writing and technology, the first few chapters are probably enough. Experienced writers and technology users can just jump in anywhere and find what they want, when they want it.
In what courses might this book be used? Because the book does not at this point have any tutorial support directly tied to the chapters, I would recommend it for advanced courses across disciplines or for graduate students working on theses and dissertations.   If online tutorials and online templates could be made available to accompany the text, it would be quite useful in beginning courses. (It could also serve as a resource book for new or experienced faculty who need professional development in technology.) At this point, however, the success of this book depends on how teachers integrate it into their courses. Without instructional support or online supplements, it would be rather difficult for inexperienced instructors to know how to link technical information with course content.
With tutorials available, teachers could assign sections of the book with the assurance that students had some guidance and practice. Even experienced writers could learn the strategies for such tasks as creating style sheets and indexes if there were tutorial support available. Further, with support, faculty across disciplines who teach distance education students might consider adopting this book, for all distance students need to develop computer strategies that support their goals as writers.
Rather than wait for the second edition to make changes, I hope that Allyn and Bacon will consider having the authors develop a Web site to support this edition. A companion Web site would help make this comprenhensive book a truly excellent instructional resource.
This book has rekindled my interest in the links between effective use of word processing and the enhancement of writing ability. If we want to encourage our students to use more powerful features of word processing, I'm convinced that we've got to begin integrating powerful word processing strategies into our teaching. We need to return to the research interests of yesteryear--and conduct new studies of word processing, information searching, and writing, focusing this time on the degree to which writers who use appropriate word processing and research strategies become more effective and efficient writers.Writing with a Computer can help us encourage our students to examine their goals as writers and encourage them to integrate selected word processing and search strategies into their research and writing processes.

To Top of Page

Background Sections Best Features Recommendations
Background Faculty (and students) new to technology often learn more about Web page creation than about the capabilities of word processing. As readers of Writing with a Computerby Michael Palmquist and Donald Zimmerman demonstrate, writers rarely tap the potential of computers to provide support throughout the research and writing process. Can word processing strategies and related skills be omitted from our courses? Not without serious consequences and without limiting students' development, not only as writers but as budding professionals who need to understand the potential of technology in their lives and in their careers. Word processing has become an invisible technology, so much a part of our writing lives that we overlook many of its capabilities. After reading Palmquist and Zimmerman's book, I took a quick mental journey to yesteryear, when all about word processing was new and exciting. I was reminded of all that began, then got pushed aside, as more compelling uses of technology came along. Word processing has become so familiar to us that we forget to re-evaluate its importance and re-assess just what components of word processing should be integrated into instruction. Yet it's time to do just that. Writing with a Computer covers not only word processing, but also ways of locating and evaluating sources, tips for managing your desktop to create a writing environment, and even a chapter on ergonomics. That's right, ways to sit correctly and hold your fingers poised over the keyboard. If you want to be a lifelong writer, you'd better start doing these things right!
To Top of Page
Sections	Features Covered in Each Section
Making Computers Part of Your Writing Process	This section suggests strategies that writers can use as they work on developing their writing processes. Strategies include these: using blind writing or looping as prewriting strategies using multiple or split windows to support revision (overview in one window, section in another) developing templates for information gathering (using tables) browsing the Web for ideas collecting boilerplates using outline tools to organize before and during drafting using styles effectively to call attention to parts of documents reviewing documents with the ZOOM command using color to highlight key sections using the comments feature for annotating a document using the summary tool to check organization using the document comparison tool to support review
Editing	changing the document flagging feature to turn off automatic spell checking and document flagging changing the default features of the grammar checking program
Format, Layout, and Document Design	selecting the appropriate font for your writing goals changing the formatting of fonts aligning text in columns formatting paragraphs (including hanging indents) using borders and color developing a typographic style guide
Organizing and Gathering Information Online	overview of library catalogs, online databases, and the Web suggestions on effective search strategies saving search results to a file ways to limit searches creating, organizing, and annotating bookmarks evaluating online information (particularly, the importance of understanding the purpose of a document and the source of an author's information)
Writing Faster, Organizing the Desktop	using commands rather than mouseclicks using styles and document templates to make quick changes using automatic formatting tools using the goto button to navigate long documents customizing colors, fonts, and keyboard commands recycling sections of documents
Creating a Writing Environment & Keeping Your Computer Healthy	accessing files and folders using passwords to protect files and folders adjusting the physical writing environment
To Top of Page
Best Features Some of the most helpful features of this book: All the strategies for using a word processor as a drafting and reviewing tool, noted in the "Features Covered in Each Section" area, above. An excellent discussion of grammar checkers that will help students understand why some teachers are reluctant to have students use them: students don't understand that language varies so much from discipline to discipline and that the conventions in a style checker are arbitrarily set. Nor do students understand that language changes over time and that some rules in the style checker are out of date. An insightful checklist for evaluating Web resources, stressing the need to understand the purpose of the site and to examine the source of the evidence used by the author.
To Top of Page
Recommendations Who can benefit from this book? Both experienced and novice writers can find ways into the book. If, as Zimmerman and Palmquist suggest, writers begin by examining their goals, then writers will know what they need to learn (and do) to support those goals. For novice writers who are just beginning to explore writing and technology, the first few chapters are probably enough. Experienced writers and technology users can just jump in anywhere and find what they want, when they want it. In what courses might this book be used? Because the book does not at this point have any tutorial support directly tied to the chapters, I would recommend it for advanced courses across disciplines or for graduate students working on theses and dissertations. If online tutorials and online templates could be made available to accompany the text, it would be quite useful in beginning courses. (It could also serve as a resource book for new or experienced faculty who need professional development in technology.) At this point, however, the success of this book depends on how teachers integrate it into their courses. Without instructional support or online supplements, it would be rather difficult for inexperienced instructors to know how to link technical information with course content. With tutorials available, teachers could assign sections of the book with the assurance that students had some guidance and practice. Even experienced writers could learn the strategies for such tasks as creating style sheets and indexes if there were tutorial support available. Further, with support, faculty across disciplines who teach distance education students might consider adopting this book, for all distance students need to develop computer strategies that support their goals as writers. Rather than wait for the second edition to make changes, I hope that Allyn and Bacon will consider having the authors develop a Web site to support this edition. A companion Web site would help make this comprenhensive book a truly excellent instructional resource. This book has rekindled my interest in the links between effective use of word processing and the enhancement of writing ability. If we want to encourage our students to use more powerful features of word processing, I'm convinced that we've got to begin integrating powerful word processing strategies into our teaching. We need to return to the research interests of yesteryear--and conduct new studies of word processing, information searching, and writing, focusing this time on the degree to which writers who use appropriate word processing and research strategies become more effective and efficient writers.Writing with a Computer can help us encourage our students to examine their goals as writers and encourage them to integrate selected word processing and search strategies into their research and writing processes. To Top of Page