Creating a hypertext database to help Hong Kong English language teachers teach writing

Abstract

This paper describes how a hypertext database Focus on Writing was created to assist English language teachers of Hong Kong secondary schools in the teaching of continuous writing. Focus on Writing is subsumed under the TeleNex Teaching Resources database, which is part of the TeleNex network. This network aims to provide continuous professional support to English language teachers in their own workplace through the computer. The Focus on Writing database is still in the process of development and constant revision of the hypertext format is taking place based on the feedback from users. This paper delineates the theoretical and practical rationale behind the evolving design of the Focus on Writing database, outlining the ways in which a hypertext format differs from the print medium. The emerging issues of this technology are discussed with reference to the advantages this kind of technology offers in providing English language teachers of Hong Kong with a coherent model of L2 writing pedagogy.