This paper describes the application of local area network (LAN) technology, especially electronic mail (E-mail), to develop the written communication skills of 10 deaf students in two pre-high school science classes at a school for the deaf. Students used E-mail for such activities as answering questions, keeping a log, communicating with an adult via a dialogue journal, and writing reports. Writing samples were collected at the beginning and end of the school year. In one classroom the network was used consistently throughout the school year in all areas of the curriculum, and students produced a great deal of writing on the network. In the second classroom, network activities remained separate from the curriculum and were only used during two intervals, one in the fall and one in the spring. Students in the high-use classroom demonstrated significant improvements in both the communicative effectiveness and connectedness of their writing. No improvement in writing performance was discerned for students in the second classroom. (DB)