skinner@cs.washington.edu (Shelley Marie Skinner) (12/08/90)
>... > No, writing skills and word processing are NOT synonymous in > 1990. They will not be synonymous in 2000, nor in 2010. In > 2090, word processing may well be an obsolete practice. But > writing skills will still be vital to a person's education, just > as they were in 1090, and 90. > ... > Of that, I have no doubt. But it is frightening that a high > school teacher would confound word processing with writing. > Please, I beg of you, for the sake of our children, think long > and hard about how our primary and secondary schools are failing, > and where the corrective measures lie. Typing and word > processing classes are irrelevant. I totally agree that writing skills are, and will always be, very important, both in school, and in every day life. By writing skills, I mean the ability to think and write clearly about a subject. I recently read the book "Writing to Learn" by William Zinsser (1988); In it, he discusses the importance of writing, how to write well, and something called "writing across the curriculum." I enjoyed reading it, and recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about writing, and how it is a "powerful method of learning." I wish I had known in highschool what I learned from the book. ...still trying to make up for what I should have learned... -Shelley