Prepared as part of a series applying recent research in oral and written communication instruction to classroom practice, this booklet examines the role of technology in the classroom. Following a brief discussion of the impact of television on students, the first major section of the booklet explores the power of television as a curriculum tool. The second section reviews the new technologies, such as videodiscs, microcomputers, and word processors; discusses new applications of computers in the language arts; and refutes two myths concerning computers--that they are dehumanizing and that students' interest in computer instruction is due to the novelty of the experience. Other topics discussed in this section include the microcomputer-based curriculum being developed by Bolt, Baranek, and Newman through Department of Education funding; the Writer's Assistant program produced by researchers at the University of California at San Diego; and the microcomputer software developed at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research for use in teaching young children speaking and listening skills. The final section presents some drawbacks of computer instruction. (FL)