Most computer related activities will require reading and writing. E-mailing and making web sites will help students establish a sense of audience. These activities also foster collaboration. Students can send and receive feedback and share examples of their writing. Always have a back-up plan.
Communication using the computer in the classroom takes place in different directions.
From the teacher to the student Using a web site In a traditional classroom setting, the teacher talks and the students listen. The web site is another way to distribute information, such as assignments, directions, and examples to students. I use the web site as a bulletin board on which I post schedules of assignments, examples of students' work, instructions for writing essays, documenting sources, preparing web pages, and links to outside sources such as the MLA organization, on-line dictionaries, etc. The focal point is the calendar which I update every semester, activating links to old and new materials. I also communicate to all the students at once while using the web page ensuring that they all have had equal opportunities of being exposed to the information presented in class.