Laptop as Messenger: an Exploration of the Role of Portables in Home-School Liaison

Into the now substantial research into the use of word processing as a tool to develop children’s writing, the role of the laptop computer has recently added a fresh dimension. Such machines add flexibility and portability to classroom management and there are numerous questions about their impact. In this article Guy Merchant and Moira Monteith examine one possible benefit of the use of laptops, their potential for drawing together home and school and initiating and sustaining home-school dialogue.