Practical Uses of Microsoft Word in Writing Classes

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GOAL: The goal of this workshop is to give participants a sampler of classroom-tested activities using MSWord to teach writing effectively, including the ability to share MSWord files through the Web. Participants will experiment with a variety of MSWord functions throughout the writing process in a simulated writing workshop. The workshop ultimately aims, however, to prompt the participants to explore and develop similar approaches within their local contexts.

ASSUMPTIONS AND PRINCIPLES:

1. Writing instructors have always had to be resourceful when using software that was not intended specifically for teaching, but the latest word processors are so robust and powerful that they can be remarkably effective.
2. Workshop participants will want to use instructional technology in service of contemporary pedagogy: student-centered, active learning, workshop-oriented teaching strategies.
3. Participants should want to invest their time in software that can (eventually) enable web-based learning and file-sharing (although working with MSWord does not require web-based interactivity).
4. In this pedagogy, MSWord is the "workhorse"; it is the writing software for your course. FTP or email is used to exchange files, and a web-browser (like Netscape or Explorer) helps organize class files for potentially asynchronous, d istant exchanges.
5. There is no substitute for extensive individual, hands-on development. In other words, this workshop can only get you started; you must ultimately invest time on your own.
6. This workshop will focus on clever and resourceful uses of MSWord, but participants should be aware that using MSWord in a course also requires attention to teaching and orchestrating basic operations such as using pull-down menus, naming files consis tently, and saving work properly.
7. Pedagogies that use widely available rather than customized or idiosyncratic software are preferable: colleagues and student will prefer to avoid having to learn specialized software exclusively for teaching and learning. More students are likely to have ready access to less specialized software.
8. Many campuses are legislating standard software, file formats, and platforms for their operations, making it more feasible to develop teaching that relies on consistent, coordinated computer configurations.
9. In many cases, MSWord will not cost students or departments much money; often it is either already available, very affordable, or clearly worth the investment.
10. Many of the ideas and approaches we demonstrate in this workshop on MSWord for PC will also work with other word processors (like WordPerfect) and other platforms (e.g., MSWord for Mac).

Prewriting Exercise #1: