Imagine All that Stuff Really Happening: narrative and identity in children's on-screen writing

In the world of work and in the social lives of many, new technology plays an important role in establishing and maintaining relationships and exchanging information. The school system varies in its response to this new technology and particularly to the popular communication of email and mobile phone users. In schools and classrooms, policies, practices and pupil cultures influence how on-screen writing is seen and used (Holloway & Valentine, 2003). Drawing on data from a series of school-based projects which have involved the use of interactive email, this article explores the relationship between narrative and identity in children's on-screen writing. Using archived emails, and story fragments, the article shows how children borrow and transform the writing practices and voices of others. The study illustrates how children draw on popular culture texts and blend them with classroom material to produce hybrid narratives. Children's agency is an important aspect of this work, which shows that, despite the institutional constraints of time and space, access to new technology can promote innovation and creativity.