|
Resources: Frequently Asked QuestionsGeneral TopicsWhat does "DIWE" stand for?Where can I find DIWE documentation? Why should I upgrade from an older version to DIWE 7? Is DIWE available for Macintosh computers? Academic DisciplinesCan DIWE be used in other kinds of classes besides English composition?What resources are available in DIWE for teaching foreign languages? What resources are available in DIWE for ESL/EFL students? Prewriting and RevisingHow does Invent aid writers in the prewriting process?What prewriting prompts are provided with Invent? What ESL prompt series are provided with Invent? How does Respond aid writers in the peer review process? What revision prompts are provided with Respond? What ESL prompt series are provided with Respond? What is the Daedalus Style Handbook? How much does the Daedalus Style Handbook cost? Where can I get it? Documenting SourcesHow does BiblioCite help students create Works Cited pages?What types of sources does BiblioCite support? Can BiblioCite be purchased separately from DIWE? Discussion ToolsHow is InterChange different from using an online chat service?How is InterChange different from traditional class discussion? How is Mail different from sending email or using a web bulletin board? Word ProcessingHow is Write different from other word processors, such as Microsoft Word?What types of files does Write save and open? What is the Concordance feature? What does "DIWE" stand for?The Daedalus Integrated Writing Environment. A long name, but it emphasizes that the software is a wide-ranging suite of tools for writing and collaborative learning. Here at The Daedalus Group, we pronounce the acronym "dee-wee" (rhymes with kiwi) for convenience.
Where can I find DIWE documentation?Documentation for all versions of DIWE is available on our website:
Why should I upgrade from an older version to DIWE 7?There have been many improvements to DIWE 7 since earlier versions of DIWE. Listed below are some of the most significant enhancements in the two most recent releases. New in DIWE 7ESL/EFL Tools
Daedalus Style Handbook
Updated and Redesigned BiblioCite
Changes introduced in DIWE 2002 (DIWE 6)Revised, Expanded Prompts for Invent and Respond
Better Document Sharing
New, Simpler BiblioCite
Improved Mail and InterChange Functionality
Institutions using previous versions of DIWE can upgrade with a 35% discount from our regular prices.
Is DIWE available for Macintosh computers?DIWE is no longer offered on the Macintosh platform because of compatibility issues with Macintosh OS X. Customers who have licensed the Macintosh version are welcome to take advantage of our standard upgrade discount to switch to the Windows version of DIWE. Sites continuing to use DIWE 1.4 for Macintosh also can download DIWE documentation.
Can DIWE be used in other kinds of classes besides English composition?Absolutely. DIWE can be an effective tool in any classroom where students are required to write and work collaboratively. All written documents, even history papers and lab reports, require effective prewriting. DIWE makes collaboration on group projects easy. Instructors can even create their own Invent and Respond prompts to ensure students are considering important points relevant to the class.
What resources are available in DIWE for teaching foreign languages?Foreign Language Add-Ons, which are sold separately from DIWE, are available in French, Spanish and German. The Add-Ons include a Thesaurus and a Spell-Checker that fully integrate into the core DIWE program (and cannot function without it). The Thesaurus is available at all times within DIWE, while the Spell-Checker is available only in Write. Students can easily switch among whichever languages have been installed, including English, which comes as a standard part of DIWE. In addition, DIWE includes an electronic copy of the book Language Learning Online: Theory and Practice in the ESL and L2 Computer Classroom, a collection of essays describing the experiences of teachers who have used DIWE in foreign language and ESL classes.
What resources are available in DIWE for ESL/EFL students?DIWE offers extensive resources for students whose first language is not English, including
How does Invent aid writers in the prewriting process?Invent challenges writers to explore topics in ways that may not occur to them as they begin to write. Writers have the option of beginning their Invent series by writing a "warm up" in an empty text box. Upon completion of the "warm up" and after entering a topic, Invent prompts the writer to answer general questions about the topic. For example, the first prompt may ask simply that the writer define the topic. As the questions progress they become more specific. Writers have the option to skip any question or click the "Explain" button, which presents the question in a more detailed or different way. At the end of the prompt series, writers are asked if they would like to save their work. If they choose to do so, the Invent series may be returned to later or can be opened as a text file in Write ( or any other word processor). Writers may use their ideas or even the exact text of their answers to begin a paper.
What prewriting prompts are provided with Invent?DIWE 7 for Windows includes the following categories of prewriting prompts:
For each category there are at least two sub-series. For example, under Portfolio there are four sub-series:
What ESL prompt series are provided with Invent?DIWE 7 for Windows includes the following ESL prompt series for prewriting:
How does Respond aid writers in the peer review process?Often peer reviewers have difficulty giving effective feedback. Respond guides reviewers through a series of specific questions about the work they are reviewing. Not only does this provide the writer with better ideas for revision, but it also helps students better understand how to revise their own writing.
What revision prompts are provided with Respond?DIWE 7 for Windows includes the following categories of revision prompts:
For most categories there are at least two sub-series. For example, under Style Analysis there are seven sub-series:
What ESL prompt series are provided with Respond?DIWE 7 for Windows includes the following ESL prompt series:
What is the Daedalus Style Handbook?The Daedalus Style Handbook is an electronic reference focusing on techniques you can use to refine your style while revising a paper. The handbook includes chapters on the following topics:
How much does the Daedalus Style Handbook cost? Where can I get it?The Daedalus Style Handbook is included with DIWE 7. It is no longer available as a separate add-on product for earlier versions of DIWE.
How does BiblioCite help students create Works Cited pages?Writers create a BiblioCite file to hold information about all the sources they use in preparing a document. For each source the writer fills in a simple form with such information as author, title, date, and so on. After entering all the facts, the writer chooses which sources to include in the final bibliography. BiblioCite then creates a correctly formatted Works Cited (MLA) or References (APA) page that can be copied and pasted into the writer's final draft.
What types of sources does BiblioCite support?BiblioCite is able to format these types of sources:
Can BiblioCite be purchased separately from DIWE?BiblioCite is available only as an integrated component in DIWE. Several other bibliography programs can be found online for those who need a stand-alone program.
How is InterChange different from using an online chat service?DIWE's InterChange does not require access to the Internet; instructors can be sure students stay on task and are not surfing the web while participating in a discussion. InterChange also preserves a transcript of the entire session; those who join late are able to see everything that took place before their arrival. Optionally, the instructor can save an InterChange transcript that is sorted by the senders' names, making it easier to see each student's entire contribution to the discussion.
How is InterChange different from traditional class discussion?InterChange lets everyone participate in discussions at the same time without having to take turns or wait to be called on. Many students are more comfortable with real-time conferencing than traditional classroom discussion. Consequently, participation rates are usually near 100%, instead of the small fraction of students who typically speak up in an oral discussion. If the instructor chooses to allow it, students can use pseudonyms for such purposes as role-playing and discussion of sensitive topics.
How is Mail different from sending email or using a web bulletin board?Although Mail supports private messages to individuals, its primary purpose is to facilitate the sharing of ideas among groups. Unlike email, the messages remain publicly posted so that any member of the class can read and respond to them at any time throughout the semester. Mail also provides a convenient way for exchanging work from Invent and Respond as well as other text documents.
How is Write different from other word processors, such as Microsoft Word?Write is designed to allow writers to focus on writing, not formatting. Though Write does provide basic formatting features, such as font, style, size, spacing, indentation, margins and insertion of bitmaps, most of these features are tucked away in a menu, rather than cluttering up screen space. Unlike other editors, Write includes the Concordance feature, which provides writers with invaluable information about their writing style.
What types of files does Write save and open?DIWE 7 for Windows saves Write files by default in Rich Text Format, which preserves all formatting information when moving documents from one word processor to another; these files are fully compatible with Microsoft Word. Write also offers the option to save plain text files. DIWE also uses Rich Text Format or plain text files for saving Invent and Respond work, InterChange and Mail transcripts, and Works Cited or References pages created in BiblioCite. Consequently, these files can be opened by Write or most other word processors.
What is the Concordance feature?The "Make Concordance" command in Write lets you see how often you used each word in your document. The command also calculates your document's readability level and shows statistics about your style. Information provided in the Concordance may be used in conjunction with the Daedalus Style Handbook to provide you with ideas on how to improve readability and style.
Copyright © 1998-2011 The Daedalus Group, Inc. All rights reserved. |