At a conference on Writing Across the Curriculum offered at Pennsylvania State University in 1987, the keynote address, given by Dr. James R. Squire, was entitled 'Writing to Learn.' The message was simple: the act of writing, of organizing ideas with a view to communicating to others, does more than simply demonstrate what knowledge we have. It reinforces, transforms, and activates that knowledge. Writing is a powerful, often painstaking process the execution of which is perhaps the most educational cognitive activity in which we, and our students, can be engaged. And it is a process appropriate to all subjects right across the curriculum.Word Processing to Learn
If it is true that writing contributes significantly to the confirmation and assimilation of knowledge, and if it is true that the computer is the most versatile writing implement yet invented, then it follows that measures should be taken at all levels of education to make word processing available to all students. Like so many aspects of computer use, children enjoy using the computer to learn. There isE-mail to Learn
E-mail is an extension of word processing--less formal, less structured perhaps, but word processing all the same. Under the guidance of good teachers, students can use e-mail as an environment for communication with classmates or with children in other parts of the country or the world, in an exchange of information on a wide range of subjects.Instant Messaging to Learn
Instant Messaging is an extension of word processing and e-mail--yet more informal, still less structured perhaps, but it is a form of word processing all the same. Again, under the guidance of good teachers, students can use instant messaging as a "live" environment for communication with classmates or with children in other parts of the country or the world, in an exchange of information on a wide range of subjects.