Kaplan and Sullivan each present multiple sides of integrating computers into the teaching of composition. Reading these articles was enlightening as I could not possibly imagine composing without a computer. I do 99% of all "writing" on a computer/electronic device - papers, communication with friends, notes, lists, etc. So, reading about the history of computers being brought into the composition was interesting, though not entirely surprising as academia is generally slower to adopt newer technologies and ideas than industry.
Something that they both bring up is the fact that composing via a computer provides writers with a greater amount of control than was previously available, paying particular attention to how computers increase what writers can do with their works in terms of publishing and revision. I think this is possibly the greatest benefit available now.
Kaplan, by way of Ohmann, though, brings up the issues of elitism and access. He quotes Ohmann as saying, "I see every reason to expect that the computer revolution, like other revolutions from the top down, will indeed expand the minds and the freedom of an elite, meanwhile facilitating the degradation of labor and the stratification of the workforce that have been the hallmarks of monopoly capitalism from its onset" (23). I agree that using computers to teach composition could certainly further separate the elite from others; however, I do not think that this is necessarily required to be the case. I think that recognizing this as a great possibility can open up ways to provide more access to people who may not otherwise have it. If we, though, assume that people have access and expect them to need electronic access in order to complete the necessary tasks of day to day life (which, currently, we often do), then we are doing as Kaplan suggests and helping the elite to become more elite while positioning "the others" in an even lower class position and making it more difficult for them to make headway in society.
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