An examination of the role of computer-based technologies in the learning and teaching of writing in a Stage 2 classroom

The expectation that teachers use computer-based technologies in literacy learning in primary school classrooms has heightened in recent years as schools attempt to prepare students for the literacy demands of the highly digitised workplace. Teachers have responded to this challenge with varying degrees of enthusiasm and success as they meet the challenge of rethinking their understanding of what it is to be literate and therefore their approach to providing literacy learning opportunities in classrooms. This study aims to examine the role of computer-based technologies in the learning and teaching of writing in one Year 4 classroom. Observations, interviews, the teacher�s program and student work samples collected during this study revealed that the skills and strategies required for traditional literacies are still relevant in the construction of texts using computer-based technologies. The study also demonstrated that these traditional skills are combined with other skills and strategies for the creation of new literacies emerging from computer-based technologies. The findings of this study indicate that computer-based technologies force teachers to broaden their notion of what text is and how students best learn about writing.