Recent developments in personal computers will affect the teaching of reading and writing because they offer capabilities that simply were not possible before. For example, an information storage and retrieval system, developed as a "library" for elementary school children, allows them to store and retrieve information under different descriptors. "Dynamic books" have become part of an interactive text that allows the student to browse to find information about particular topics or questions. The browser provides both a table of contents index and a subject index, parts of which can appear on the screen at the same time as the book's text. Through online dictionaries and thesauri, children can merely point to a word they do not understand and its definition can be given to them automatically. Writing coaches are helpful in all phases of writing--helping the student to plan before writing, giving advice as the student writes, and suggesting to the student how to evaluate and revise when a draft is completed. The text editor lets students see the text on a display screen as they type it in and automatically moves the text around to make room for additions, removing extra space caused by deletions. Message systems provide a variety of capabilities for reading and sending messages. And, developments in publications systems enable students to create texts in different formats and with different page layouts. (HOD)