Chapter 6: Analog and Digital Tools, Pitfalls, and Best Practices

Writers can be a quirky bunch when it comes to writing tools. We may use anything from a nearby pen on yellow legal pads to software like LiquidText with a tablet and stylus. Just as there is a wide range of options for your writing practice, there are a variety of tools that can help keep a writing group on track. Here, we hope to give you a framework to navigate the often-overwhelming choices.

So, let's talk about a framework for thinking about the types of technology you can use with your group. In Special Education, we often consider and use various assistive technologies to support the learning of children with disabilities. We categorize assistive technology tools as either high tech, mid tech, or low tech. Interestingly, these categories were coined by Falk and Lyson (1988) in a book about industrial and occupational change in the American South, but that is neither here nor there.