Computer Aids That Writers Need

What problems are faced by office workers when they write documents? Are computer aids for writing available to meet their needs? These questions are answered here by: (1) describing recent research on writing processes, (2) listing various types of computer aids that either are currently marketed or are under investigation, and (3) reviewing studies that speak to the effectiveness of these aids. Numerous aids are available for problems that arise in planning, translating, and reviewing text. However, the few reported evaluation studies do not indicate that computer aids improve either the quality or the efficiency of writing. © 1985 Psychonomic Society, Inc

Mental tactility: the ascendance of writing in online management education

A qualitative study of online management education and the role of writing as an indicative measure of thinking and learning. Established educational models, such as Dale\u27s Cone of Experience, are expanded and redeveloped to illustrate the central role of writing as a critical thinking process which appears to be increasing, rather than decreasing, with the advent of online multimedia technology. In an environment of increasing reliance on audiovisual stimulus in online education, the authors contend that tertiary educators may witness an ascendance or re-emergence of writing as central to the academic experience. This may be both supply and demand driven. Drawing on a study of two undergraduate units in the Bachelor of Commerce and applying hermeneutics to develop challenging insights, the authors present a case for educators to remain conversant with the art of teaching writing, and to promote writing to improve educational outcomes. <br /

Voice input and information exchange in asynchronous group communication

Existing computer supported co-operative work (CSCW) systems for group communication typically require some amount of keyboard input, and this may limit their usefulness. A voice input prototype system for asynchronous (time separated transactions) group communication (AGC) with simulated conversion to text was developed and an experiment constructed to investigate if advantages over conventional keyboard input computer conferencing were possible for the information exchange task. Increases in words used and facts disclosed were higher for voice input compared to text input, which implies that voice input capability could be advantageous for future asynchronous group communication systems supporting information exchange

Of Painters, Sculptors, Quill Pens and Microscopes: Teaching Legal Writers in the Electronic Age

No longer do lawyers write most of their work “by hand.” Instead, most legal writing is now done on word processors. This has the potential to change the way lawyers write in a fundamental way. Because word processors make it easier to write more than was possible “by hand” modern legal writers are more akin to sculptors than painters. Such writers must create finely-tuned written products from the large quantities of material that can now be inputted into a document and then edited and whittled away to create a finished product.This Article examines how the arrival of the electronic age has changed the ways in which lawyers write and argues that these changes require rethinking the way legal writing is taught. This Article begins by discussing the increased use of computers as the primary medium for legal writing. This development mandates studying the differences a word processor makes in the way lawyers write and learn to write.Then, the Article posits that writing via word processor may detrimentally change legal writing and explains how this might have happened. It then acknowledges that there are some ways in which legal writing may be improved significantly through the use of computers. Reconciling these benefits and detriments is the challenge for today’s legal writing programs. The Article concludes with recommendations for ways in which those who teach legal writing can refine their pedagogical techniques to assist new lawyers in becoming effective writers and word sculptors in the electronic age.In the years that have passed since the publication of this piece, the transition to electronic writing has occurred even faster than this Article posits. Thus, the need to consider the impact of electronic media is greater than ever

Word processing in the Omaha Metropolitan Area and implications for business education in the area

The problem to be investigated is to what extent the concept of word processing has been adopted by businesses in the Omaha metropolitan area and implications for business education in the schools of the area. This problem can be divided into several sub-problems

Simulated Business Curriculum for Business Communications High School Classes

Current methods of teaching business communications in the high school classroom are very traditional. By developing a business communications simulation, the traditional classroom has an additional dimension for practicing letter writing skills, as well as oral communications and human relations skills. The goal in this project was to change the traditionally taught business communication course into a more practical hands-on experience of what is done in an actual employment situation

Wizundry: A Cooperative Wizard of Oz Platform for Simulating Future Speech-based Interfaces with Multiple Wizards

Wizard of Oz (WoZ) as a prototyping method has been used to simulate intelligent user interfaces, particularly for speech-based systems. However, as our societies' expectations on artificial intelligence (AI) grows, the question remains whether a single Wizard is sufficient for it to simulate smarter systems and more complex interactions. Optimistic visions of 'what artificial intelligence (AI) can do' places demands on WoZ platforms to simulate smarter systems and more complex interactions. This raises the question of whether the typical approach of employing a single Wizard is sufficient. Moreover, while existing work has employed multiple Wizards in WoZ studies, a multi-Wizard approach has not been systematically studied in terms of feasibility, effectiveness, and challenges. We offer Wizundry, a real-time, web-based WoZ platform that allows multiple Wizards to collaboratively operate a speech-to-text based system remotely. We outline the design and technical specifications of our open-source platform, which we iterated over two design phases. We report on two studies in which participant-Wizards were tasked with negotiating how to cooperatively simulate an interface that can handle natural speech for dictation and text editing as well as other intelligent text processing tasks. We offer qualitative findings on the Multi-Wizard experience for Dyads and Triads of Wizards. Our findings reveal the promises and challenges of the multi-Wizard approach and open up new research questions.Comment: 34 page

Composing idiomatically for specific performers : collaboration in the creation of electroacoustic music

Cette thèse examine l'impact de la collaboration avec des instrumentistes particuliers sur la composition de quatre œuvres électroacoustiques. Assumant un rôle plus important que celui de consultant ou conseiller, les interprètes ont influencé les décisions de l'auteur / compositeur dans le cadre de multiples ateliers et d'enregistrements de ceux-ci. Cette thèse examine ainsi comment les outils médiatiques de la musique électroacoustique affectent et enrichissent les relations personnelles : ces outils favorisent la transcription et la traduction, qui à la fois soulignent et transforment la spécificité du son. Le dialogue de la collaboration permet par la suite non seulement une réconciliation plus facile entre les éléments médiatisés et directs dans une oeuvre, mais aussi l'ouverture de son potentiel d'interprétation. En se servant d'une méthodologie qui fait appel à une pratique d'auto-réflexion et récursivité, cette thèse explore des sujets tels que : l'analyse du style personnel dans un cadre linguistique; l'importance du contact physique dans la collaboration et sa traduction incomplète sur support; et les défis de la préservation de la musique électroacoustique pour média ou interprète particulier. Des exemples de la création collaborative de quatre œuvres, racontés de manière personnelle, sont tressés parmi le récit plus théorique de cette thèse, imitant le va-et-vient de la recherche-création.This dissertation examines the impact of collaboration with specific instrumental performers on the composition of four electroacoustic works. Acting as more than consultants or advisors, the performers influenced the author/composer's decision-making in multiple workshop situations and in the recordings of these meetings. This dissertation thus examines the ways in which the media tools of electroacoustic music affect and extend personal relationships: these tools encourage transcription and translation, activities that highlight and transform specificity. The dialogue of collaboration subsequently not only allows for an easier reconciliation between mediatized and live elements within a work, but also to an opening out of its interpretive potential. Using a methodology that involves recursive and self-reflexive practice, this dissertation explores topics such as: the analysis of personal style in the framework of language; the importance of eye-to-eye, physical contact in collaboration and its incomplete translation onto media; and the challenges of preserving performer- and media-specific electroacoustic music. Examples from the collaborative creation of four works, acting as personal accounts, are braided into the more theoretical narrative of this dissertation, reflecting mimetically the to and fro of research-creation

Designing a mobile academic peer support system

In this paper, we discuss work in progress into the design of a mobile academic peer support system that enables 11-to-14 year old children to request and provide academic help to each other. Our proposed system was designed based on background research into the areas of peer learning, child development, help-seeking and academic motivation. Several methods, such as focus groups, interviews and Wizard of Oz, were used during the requirements gathering and initial testing stages. The proposed system is currently under development and will be tested in a study with school-pupils, over an extended period of time, in the next few months