ABSTRACT
This chapter suggests how the use of the most sophisticated software such as Word 97 can become a teaching aid to develop literacy skills, knowledge about language and oracy. It draws upon some small-scale research in a local West Berkshire school which has Word 97 as part of the RM Window Box used in its recently equipped, open-plan computer suite. The use of ICT in the ways described in the chapter can fit easily into the organisation of the literacy hour, as part of independent group or pair work, or as part of guided writing and reading sessions. These activities can be used as ways to achieve the teaching objectives set out in the NLS Framework for Teaching. The chapter outlines some activities to meet more specific requirements in the National Curriculum for English, in particular the need for pupils 'to develop their writing on paper and on screen' and 'to check their spelling using word banks, dictionaries and spellcheckers'.
