ABSTRACT
Increased use of computers has contributed to altering the role of writing in schools across all levels of education. A main problem in the integration of computers in the writing process is that software tools found in writing centers are not that much different from those found during the past two decades in the workplace. For instance, educators are embracing the rich instructional possibilities of systems that transmit text, music, animation, graphics, and video as well as link and extend ideas. Terms like multimedia, hypermedia, and integrated media are among the current educational buzzwords. In analyzing the current trends in multimedia, hypermedia, and collaborative writing within education, it appears that these tools need further refinement. Recent investigations into the social and cognitive benefits of interactions occurring during cooperative work have found theoretical grounding in both Piagetian and Vygotskian theory.
