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The essence of the computer's role in language learning can be described in a single word: control. This is not intended to imply control over students, but rather a greater degree of control for students, teachers, and course developers over the spoken and written media in which language is expressed. For teachers, this offers an enhanced ability to present language materials and conduct classes in exactly the way they desire. For individuals or groups of students, it means expanded opportunities to work with materials adapted to their interests and abilities, and greater choice in the style and manner in which they use those materials. For both teachers and students, greater control over language media also offers a reduction in the "inauthentic labor" (Kemmis et al. 1977} involved in the learning process.At our current level of technology, even the most basic computer systems provide much of the necessary control over the written medium. As hardware prices continue to fall, a case can now be made that just one of the functions of this type of equipment--word processing--is sufficient to justify an investment in computer systems for use by both ESL students and their teachers.As I have argued elsewhere, however, {Wyatt 1982; Wyatt 1984) basic computer systems also have great potential in the reading class. With reading passages presented on their video screens, computers can offer students a choice among a wide range of reading topics, and then

The computer has the potential to play an important role in the teaching and testing of the receptive skills. In the area of teaching, this role need not be limited to traditional tutorial and drill-andpractice activities, and a wide range of other possibilities should be considered. The area of testing also holds promise for computer-adaptive innovations in addition to the computerization of familiar types of test.

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