Reader response pedagogy in the information age: Reading, writing and responding on-lin

Computers and other digital technologies are becoming more commonplace in schools. Consequently, the use of computers in classroom settings has become an integral pail of students' and teachers' lives. Teachers are now being asked to find ways to effectively integrate computers into their day-to-day classroom programmes.;The primary purpose of the study was to explore the use of computers as tools for implementing reader response instruction. Reader response theories (Iser, 1978; Rosenblatt, 1978) and pedagogical approaches based upon these theories were used to inform, the development and implementation of computer-based literature exploration. A network-based software application called Zebu was used as the venue for conducting reader response-based instructional initiatives.;During the study, a number of instructional events were developed and implemented using Zebu. The key concern was to create instructional events that fulfilled the premises of reader response pedagogy. The study also investigated the nature and delivery of questions posed in the computer environment and how these influenced responses.;A qualitative research methodology was used to explore the research questions probed in this study. The research was conducted over a seven-month period during the 1997--98 school year. The research involved students from two grade five classrooms. In this research, the investigator took the role of participant-observer. Observations were undertaken throughout the study and a variety of artifacts were collected. The study posits a number of key components that characterise effective computer-based instructional environments for reader response pedagogy. These components include: (1) Network capability allowing readers to interact and discuss text simultaneously in a shared venue; (2) Opportunities for readers to engage with the text they are focusing on in both conventional and computerised format; (3) A venue where students can move seamlessly from reading text to writing about text and back again; (4) Guidance that encourages students to engage with text in ways that are likely to result in the adoption of an aesthetic stance; and, (5) Computer-based instruction must be considered an integral component of the classroom programme.;The study concludes that network applications offer promise as a tool for orchestrating on-line collaborative engagement with text.