ABSTRACT
This chapter examines opportunities for developing communication and collaboration within the primary classroom. It focuses on three areas of technology use: computer science, including computational thinking and programming; information technology and digital literacy; and technology enhanced learning. Problem-solving activities in other subjects, such as in mathematics, have also been identified as being enhanced through talk-based activities, although specific interventions may be required to ensure language is used appropriately as a tool for reasoning. Computational thinking approaches and concepts offer new opportunities for pupils to solve problems collaboratively, while communication can increasingly be undertaken with an audience beyond the classroom. The need to identify projects in which children can work collaboratively is becoming increasingly important as pupils' use of technology within the classroom continues to evolve. Projects involving communication and collaboration are seen by pupils as engaging and motivational, whilst also making the teaching of computing more inclusive and accessible to a wider range of pupils.
