A Retrospective: Fifteen Years of Computers in English

The initial observations of English teachers that computers have the potential to support collaboration, creativity, independent learning, subversion and reflection have been confirmed by fifteen years of work in the field, as have early concerns that computers could be used to direct inappropriate activities. Questions about the role of the teacher, the function of the computer, as well as the nature of pupils' learning when using IT, are now much better understood. Yet changes in the educational context within which English teachers are working, new understandings engendered by major curriculum projects and developments in the technologies themselves have brought about a shift in understanding of the significance of IT and its impact on the English curriculum. This paper shows how publications from the NATEMCET stable reflect the emergence of the field of English and IT.