This paper confronts a new type of phobia, techno-phobia, in the ELT profession. It describes how computer conferencing is integrated into Thinking Through Writing, a university-level course at the CUHK. The paper first describes the project briefly. Then it analyses how the roles of teachers, students, the computer and the classroom are redefined. There is also a critical appraisal of the students' performance, gains and problems based on both class observation and students' reviews. It is hoped that the paper will demystify some of the uncertainty, and dispel some of the fears, of this new technology, and convince teachers that the computer creates an environment for genuine, authentic communication among teachers and learners, instead of dehumanising them.