Why Students Can’t Write — And Why Tech Is Part of the Problem

Writing is more important than ever, but many of today’s students are lousy at it. John Warner has some ideas about why that is, and how to fix it. Warner has been teaching writing at colleges for more than 20 years. And he’s written two books on the topic, including his most recent, called “Why They Can’t Write.” Part of the problem, he says, is technology. In some cases the very technologies that were intended to improve writing, like automatic-essay grading software, have backfired by encouraging a kind of paint-by-numbers approach to writing. (more)