When introduced,
computers were expected to bring about a technological revolution, especially
in education. As mentioned by Larry Cuban, this has not been the case (132).
In most school settings, however, the changes have been slow and incremental.
One change that has been slowly emerging is a change in the writing process
itself. When using a pen and paper, the move from the prewriting to drafting,
from drafting to revising, and from revising to publication stages were clear.
Each new step required a new piece of paper and, sometimes, a new writing
session. With word processors, however, the lines between the steps in the
process begin to blur. “The idea [of separate drafts] belongs to the world
of paper and pencil, not to the world of computer writing” (Patterson, 60).
The notion of writing as a stepped process is firmly entrenched in writing
pedagogies, and disrupting that notion will take time.
The first hurdle that computers have helped writers overcome is the idea
that writing is a linear process. The writing process, for maximum efficiency,
should function similar to the thought process, which is decidedly nonlinear.
Many theorists and writing teachers believe that writers function best when
using a recursive process (Putnam). With that in mind, the steps in the writing
process are now encouraged overlap each other, and the order of the steps
can be contested. "The most apparent impact that computers have had on
how we teach writing is through word processing programs. Such programs support
writers more fluidly throughout a recursive process—sometimes drafting, other
times revising. The computer helps put to rest that misconception that writing
is a linear process, that one step in the process neatly follows another"
(Patterson, 60). Whether or not writing teachers instruct their students
about the recursive manner of writing, students using computers will automatically
use the features of word processors to create their own writing processes.
The next hurdle that
word processors face is the erasure of the steps from the writing process.
When the steps can no longer differentiate themselves, the process of writing
seems more like a flow of writing. "Because the electronic text is the site
of all revisions, and revisions are being made to the original text, revisions
erase the original draft. For this reason, Patricia Sullivan (1991) has
argued, electronic texts dissolve
what we have in composition traditionally thought of as distinct stages
in the writing process" (Takayoshi, 247). Dawn Putnam teaches writing in
a high school computer classroom, and her observations about students’ writing
is as follows: “for many writers, writing does not occur in separate steps
. . . They may reorganize or edit as they draft. Word processing facilitates
the recursive nature of writing. Students can easily move between prewriting,
drafting, revising, and editing” (Putnam). What all of this means is that
the method of assigning and checking students for their use of the writing
process now has to change. Technology has ushered in a new way of approaching
writing, and now writing teachers must change as well.
What changes are to come? That is unknown, and often unexpected.
(Cuban, 133) What can be known is that revision is a vital step in the writing
process as it is currently identified. The implementation of word processors
into writing instruction not only helps students realize more fully the potential
of their writing, but it changes their methodology of writing. The writing
teacher needs to not only be aware of the impact of technology, but also the
potential.
| Getting to the heart
of the matter |
Why is revision important?
|
How do word processors
help revision? |
| Revision Strategies
& Tips |
Works Cited
|