COMPUTER ASSISTED WRITING

• Computer assisted writing
  
  If you still remember, our previous generation used type writer to compose their article, essays, report, books and so forth. This traditional way of composing a paper is a period before computer is introduced to people. Therefore, they have to seat in front of aging type writer surrounded with handwritten notes and once they made mistake, it is uneasy to delete, as a result, crumpled papers are scattered below the desk. But, after computer is introduced to people, writing works are easily to complete. According to Richard Hanson, there are four steps that involved in order producing a book which are:
  
  Brainstorming: Rapid entry, development, and organization of ideas. Entry should be either textual (outlines) or graphics (rough diagrams).
  Structuring and adding details: Reorganizing and adding both textual and graphics detail to the outline of ideas produced by brainstorming.
  Formatting: Bringing all the elements (text, figures and tables) together into finished document.
  Output: Outputting the finished document to either a specified device or file.
  
  Here are some tools that are readily available in computer to support each of writing steps.
  1. Outliner
  2. Graphics editor
  3. Multitasking or equivalent operating system
  4. Spreadsheet
  5. Thesaurus
  6. Spell checker
  7. Word processor/ Page makeup
  8. Grammar checker
  
  Meanwhile, tools that are not ready available are:
  i. Integrated knowledge database
  ii. Target audience suitability analysis
  iii. Style/Format/Taste advisor
  
  Mark Warschauer gives examples of computer as tool, which consists of word processor, grammar checker, concordancers and collaborative writing. For example:
  
  Word processing: Microsoft word, Claris Works, Microsoft Works, Simple Text and Teach Text.
  1. Grammar checkers: Grammatik
  2. Concordancers: Oxford’s MicroConcord
  3. Collabrative writing: Daedalus Integrated Writing Environment, Aspects and MacCollabrator.

• Here, I would like to suggest an online activity to student in order to improve their writing skill. You can learn from the online writing activity as there is a guideline for to write an essay. For example, you can click on this website:

http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/index_grades35.htm

• In this website, there is a site for student activities. For instance you can try to write a persuasive essay and there is a writing workshop that will guide you to compose that kinds of essay. It is very useful to student as you will be given tips on how to a good essay and what you have to do is just follow the tips.
• Another website that will benefit you is:

http://readwritethink.org/student_mat/index.asp

• ReadWriteThink offers a collection of online Student Materials to support literacy learning in the classroom. You can try the activities such as in ABC Match, Acrostic poems, alphabet organizer, Animal inquiry, Comparison and Contrast Guide, Readwrite Think Notetaker, Readwrite Think Webbing Tool, etc.

• For example, readwrite think webbing tool provides a free-form graphic organizer for activities that ask students to pursue hypertextual thinking and writing. The tool provides a quick way for students to trace out options and rearrange connections. Students can use the Webbing Tool to analyze readings as well as a prewriting activity and flowcharting tool. Students can drag the circle or box shapes representing their ideas to arrange any layout and relationship that they want. Each layer on the chart will have a different color border for the shapes that you choose. Customized versions of the tool, which include additional instructions and more focused choices, are included with some lessons.