Students do not usually learn how to type in language arts classes; but typing their assignments gives them the opportunity to apply skills learned in typing or keyboarding classes. They learn how to properly format papers and how to pace themselves when creating and typing long works. They learn how to save and access their compositions.
Spell check can catch many spelling errors, freeing the student from simple errors--such as whether to put "i" before "e". With help from the instructor, students can become more aware of homonyms--words that sound alike but have different meanings and spellings.
Students should be discouraged from using the "Cut-and-Paste" function to "borrow" other writer's work. However, "Cut-and-Paste" can be a powerful editing tool. Students can be taught to save their first draft, then save their second draft using a slightly different name. Once that is done, they can use"Cut-and-Paste" to move blocks of text around in their document without laboriously recopying the whole thing.
Students can learn to use advanced formatting techniques such as footnotes, margin spacing, and cover sheets by using templates or auto-format settings. This frees them for the more important business of producing coherent sentences, paragraphs and compositions. Students can learn techniques such as watermarking or adding digital signatures and submitting their work in .pdf format to authenticate it as their own.