In a high school writing class of eight students, a computer was used as a word processor to permit close observation of students as they learned. The class was studied using ethnographic techniques: videotape, audiotape, teacher/researcher journals, student writing, and interviews. Three types of learners emerged: marginal--those who had protracted problems learning to use the word processor and who made little progress in their writing; selective--those who became proficient with word processing but who made little writing progress; and dynamic--those who were successful on both fronts. Because the class was composed of students from various grades and various tracking levels, different socialization factors were perceived as contributing to students' successes or failures. The most obvious conclusion is that the computer's presence in the classroom appears unlikely to negate the powerful influence of the differential socialization of students by social class and its effect on their success or failure in school. Among other options for promoting educational equity, teachers must design and implement specific modifications in their pedagogical approaches to find those most likely to work with the range of students in their classrooms. (DF)