Editing Computers and writing (section)

== Conference and Conference History ==
The [[Academic conference|conference]] "Computers and Writing" was established in 1982 in Minneapolis, Minnesota by Donald Ross and Lillian Bridwell.<ref name=":02">{{Cite journal|last=Gerrard|first=Lisa|date=1995|title=The Evolution of the Computers and Writing Conference|journal=Computers and Composition|volume=12|issue=3|pages=279–292|doi=10.1016/s8755-4615(05)80066-0}}</ref>  The conference was informal at first, but has grown from a grassroots organized conference to an established, mainstream conference that examines the ways in which computers change writing practice and pedagogy.<ref name=":12">{{Cite journal|last=Gerrard|first=Lisa|date=2006|title=The evolution of the Computers and Writing Conference, the second decade|journal=Computers and Composition|volume=23|issue=2|pages=211–227|doi=10.1016/j.compcom.2006.02.003}}</ref>  In earlier conferences, the scholarship presented often explored how computers influenced individual writers, but during the late 1980s and 1990s, scholarship shifted to [[hypertext]] and [[hypermedia]], and the social nature of computer mediated writing.<ref name=":02" /><ref name=":12" />  The conference initially presented original or "homemade" [[software design]] associated with word processing and editing, but eventually switched to commercial software as commercial software became more common for both individual students and educational institutions.<ref name=":02" />

The conference has a history of [[technological optimism]], and the scholarship presented is optimistic regarding technology's influence on writing. The conference also examines and voices fears and concerns related to computer technology. Some of these fears are related to institutional policies and control as well as the fear of being overwhelmed by the constant march of technological innovation.<ref name=":12" />  The conference has also explored how computer-mediated writing can be used in socially responsible ways, as is evident by the [[Feminist theory|feminist]] roots of the conference and subfield.<ref name=":22">{{Cite journal|last=Beck|first=Estee|date=2013|title=Reflecting upon the Past, Sitting with the Present, and Charting our Future: Gail Hawisher and Cynthia Selfe Discussing the Community of Computers & Composition|journal=Computers and Composition|volume=30|issue=4|pages=349–357|doi=10.1016/j.compcom.2013.10.007}}</ref> The conference's feminist roots are evident in its support of minority scholars and scholarship. Awards such as the Hawisher and Selfe Caring for the Future Scholarship provide opportunities for new presenters in Computers and Writing related fields to attend the conference. This scholarship is preferably awarded to minority scholars who are involved in the field.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Caring for the Future Award|url=http://hawisherselfe.org|access-date=2017-12-01|website=hawisherselfe.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Butler|first1=Janine|last2=Cirio|first2=Joseph|last3=Del Hierro|first3=Victor|last4=Gonzales|first4=Laura|last5=Robinson|first5=Joy|last6=Haas|first6=Angela|date=Fall 2017|title=Caring for the Future: Initiatives for Further Inclusion in Computers and Writing|url=http://kairos.technorhetoric.net/22.1/disputatio/butler-et-al/index.html|journal=Kairos: A Journal of Rhetoric, Technology, and Pedagogy}}</ref>

While the conference was originally more focused on software and hardware decisions and use, the conference has become more concerned with the theoretical application of computers in writing pedagogy and practice.<ref name=":02" />  This attention to theory mirrors a shift to embrace [[Multimodality|multimodal]] compositions as texts and [[Interdisciplinarity|interdisciplinary]] growth as the conference became more mainstream and established in the 1990s and early 2000s.<ref name=":12" />

The conference has been held annually since 1988, which is the year that the [[Conference on College Composition and Communication|CCCC]] Committee on Computers established a subcommittee to support the Computers and Writing Conference.  While the journal ''Computers and Composition'',<ref>{{cite web|title=Computers and Composition|url=https://www.journals.elsevier.com/computers-and-composition|website=journals.elsevier.com}}</ref> founded by Cynthia Selfe and Kate Kiefer in 1983,<ref name=":02" /> is not officially connected to the Computers and Writing Conference, both began around the same time and explore the subfield within the larger fields of [[composition studies]] and [[rhetoric]].<ref name=":22" />