writewksp

Using Microsoft Word Tools to Improve Undergraduate and Graduate Student Writing: 

Using Microsoft Word Tools to Improve Undergraduate and Graduate Student Writing

Owed to a Spell in Checker: 

Owed to a Spell in Checker Eye ran this poem threw it. You sure reel glad two no Its vary polished in it's weigh, My checker tolled me sew. … I have a spelling checker, It came with My PC It plane lee marks four my revue Miss steaks eye can knot sea.

The Process Approach: 

The Process Approach Prewriting activities Organized peer review Multiple drafts Assessment

Stages of Writing: 

Stages of Writing Idea Generation Drafting Revising Editing

Idea Generation: 

Idea Generation Listing Freewriting Blindwriting Looping Clustering The cure for writer's cramp is writer's block. - Inigo DeLeon Brainstorm

Listing: 

Listing List of of ideas All ideas down on paper Open several windows and type related items into each window

Listing: 

Listing

Freewriting: 

Freewriting Writing “freely”about a topic or idea Avoid self-editing or evaluating ideas Produces extended text containing elaborated ideas

Blindwriting: 

Blindwriting Open a document Turn off/down monitor and free write Difficult to self-edit or critique your text

Looping: 

Looping Generate and refine ideas How to loop: Write for 5-10 minutes Read what you’ve written and highlight the most important idea or passage Copy the text you’ve highlighted into a new window and freewrite whatever comes to mind Repeat

Clustering: 

Clustering Explore ideas more easily Great for visual learners Examples

Drafting: 

Drafting Compose first, worry later. -Ned Rorem Outline Splitscreen Version Control

Outlining: 

Outlining Organize information Assess support for key points See relationship between ideas View overall structure of document Prewriting or used later in process Example

Splitscreen: 

Splitscreen Useful when comparing an overview with a section points in the same order as in overview View different sections that should follow same organizational principle View different parts of same document by splitting window Example

Version Control: 

Version Control Problem of disappearing text “Snapshots” taken at various stages of writing process Keep track of changes in your document Limitation: increases size of file Example

Version Control: Self-Assessment: 

Version Control: Self-Assessment Have students save document as version At the end, read each version in succession, reflecting on: what they improved how they approached their work what they might do differently next time

Revising: 

Revising The beautiful part of writing is that you don't have to get it right the first time, unlike, say, a brain surgeon. - Robert Cormier Highlighting Outlining Comments Print Preview

Highlighting: 

Highlighting Mark text for subsequent revision Different colors for different kinds of revisions green for additional support red for better address audience Used with ZOOM, allows you to identify kinds and amounts of revision needed Example

Comments: 

Comments Anyone can view comments Can hide during printing process Early in process can restrict peer review to comments Example

Print Preview: 

Print Preview Paragraphs same length? Need more development? Any paragraphs disproportionately long?

Editing: 

Editing Substitute "damn" every time you're inclined to write "very;" your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be. ~Mark Twain Return Key Track Changes and Add Comments Document Statistics Find

Return Key: 

Return Key Are sentences the same length? Do they all start the same way? Copy file and hit Return Key after each sentence

Track Changes: 

Track Changes Allows document to be edited by many reviewers Indexed by color and labeled with reviewer’s name Author decides which changes to act upon and which to delete Example

Document Statistics: 

Document Statistics

Document Statistics: 

Document Statistics Word Preferences Spelling and Grammar

Find: 

Find Use FIND to eliminate wordiness Recast passives Release “trapped” verbs Remove “There are” and other constructions

Passives: 

Passives Passive: The food was eaten. Active: The dog ate the food. Passive: The eraser was thrown by Mitch. Active: Mitch threw the eraser. Tell you what was done, if they tell you who did it, it’s in a “by” phrase

Passives: 

Passives Use FIND to locate: is was were have has had

Grammar and Style Checking: 

Grammar and Style Checking

Nominalizations: 

Nominalizations Nominalization: A noun made from either a verb or an adjective. Draft: The committee is in the fifth hour of its discussion on the rules. Recast: The committee has discussed the rule changes for five hours. (Example from Palmquist and Zimmerman)

Nominalizations: 

Nominalizations Draft: Denver, Colorado, is conducting an experiment with a clean-needle-replacement program to control AIDS among drug addicts. Recast: Denver, Colorado, is experimenting with a clean-needle-replacement program to control AIDS among drug addicts. (Example from Palmquist and Zimmerman)

To release trapped verbs: 

To release trapped verbs Use FIND to locate words ending in -tion -al -ance -ence -ment -ure

“There are” and other constructions: 

“There are” and other constructions There are… There is… These are (have)… It has been reported that… Draft: There are five dogs in the pen. Recast: Five dogs are in the pen. OR The pen holds five dogs. (Example from Palmquist and Zimmerman)

Summary: 

Summary

Summary: 

Summary

References: 

References Palmqueist, Mike and Donald E. Zimmerman. (1999). Writing with a Computer. Allyn & Bacon, Needham Heights: MA. Finding your Focus: the Writing Process. (2000). Online, Nov. 8, 2004. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/workshops/pp/index.html Purdue University Writing Lab. Creating and Publishing research Documents Using Word 2003. Online, Nov. 8, 2004. http://www.microdoft.com/education/Word2003Tutorial.aspx

Thank You!: 

Thank You! Lee Fulmer WESTOP Research and Technology Committee lee_fulmer1@yahoo.com