Teachers and pupils are priviledged nowadays since there are a lot of ICT resources available in schools. I have chosen to tell you about a brilliant and fun device for teachers and pupils. This device is called AlphaSmart.
What AlphaSmart is and what you need to make it work
AlphaSmart is a digital notebook, which gives you a lot of opportunities. You can write long texts or take notes wherever you are and whenever you want. It looks like a laptop, but can only be used for writing. This device costs about $200-300 US Dollars and weigh 1 kilo.
AlphaSmart is popular in school since it is very affordable. It is also ergonomic and durable, so it is a perfect educational aid for pupils.
You need AA-batteries in order to use AlphaSmart. It has excellent battery life since the uptime is about 500 hours! You also need a PC when you are finished with your text and want to edit something. At last, you need a printer in order to print out your text.
How AlphaSmart can be used by pupils and teachers
AlphaSmart is perfect for pupils who need to write stories and letters, for example. Pupils don't need pens, papers and rubbers to write long texts nowadays. This device helps pupils to increase their writing skills. AlphaSmart can't connect to the internet, so pupils don't get distracted with web surfing. Furthermore, this device is similar to a laptop, so pupils don't usually have a problem with using it. You can't hear when someone is writing on AlphaSmart since the keyboard is soundless, so it is not disturbing other persons in the room.
AlphaSmart is also a fantastic tool for pupils with dyslexia, dysgraphia or other learning disabilities. Pupils' motivation increases and they are often proud of their work. These pupils can print out their completed work and feel positive and satisfied. They also feel that their work is of a similar standard to the rest of their peers. In addition, AlphaSmart has an in-built spell-check, which is a support for pupils with dyslexia. The screen is small, so pupils can only see a few lines at a time. Therefore, they can focus better on their texts.
It is important for teachers to remember that AlphaSmart is not suitable for all pupils, since they have different conditions of learning. However, most teachers are positive to this device since it is easy to use for both them and their pupils. As already mentioned, AlphaSmart looks like a laptop, so teachers must teach their pupils that AlphaSmart is an educational aid and not a toy.
Other considerations
In conclusion, pupils and teachers have a large amount of opportunities in the classroom with AlphaSmart. This device encourages and motivates most pupils' lust to write. Hopefully, more teachers realize that AlphaSmart has a lot of advantages and start using this fantastic resource!
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I have never heard about AlphaSmart before I read your blog post. This ICT tool seems to be very usable for pupils especially for those with reading and writing disabilities. I believe that this seems to be a good tool for several reasons. I like the fact that there is nothing that the pupils cannot be distracted by because it is soundless and functions just like a pen and a paper. It is also good that the screen is small and only shows a few lines at a time so the pupils do not feel stressed while they are writing. For those who have reading and writing disabilities it is a great support to have the in-built spell-check, this can probably help these pupils a lot when they are writing and help them to learn new words and how they are spelt. Another good thing is that the pupils can print out what they have written so they feel equivalent to their peers who writes with their pen and paper.
ReplyDeleteOne negative aspect could be that this ICT tool is pretty expensive if you compare it with a laptop. A laptop does not cost so much more and can be used for many other things than just writing. A laptop can be used by more than one pupil and I think that this fact can be seen as negative by some schools. However, I think that AlphaSmart seems to be a very good educational aid for many pupils and has functions that a laptop does not have such as the small screen. I hope to see AlphaSmart used in practice and that this tool can help pupils with reading and writing disabilities in my classroom.
As you wrote, the Alphasmart seems to be a very handy tool since you can use it wherever you are. Some pupils have trouble with focusing on their writing when there are many impressions around them or in the tool they are using. Sometimes pupils need to write in a quiet room and the Aplhasmart is easy to move and to carry with you.
ReplyDeleteIf the school only have stationary computers the Alphasmart could be valuable. Some schools have only got one computer in the classroom and I have noticed that a discussion could easily occur if the teacher lets one or two pupils work on it during the lesson. The other pupils could get distracted because they also want to write on the computer with all its special effects.
You mentioned that it is important that teachers know that pupils learn in different ways, in that case the Alphasmart could also be limiting to some pupils. The screen of the Alphasmart is a bit small and it is difficult to scroll back and forth in the text in order to find and change a sentence for example. The tool is good when pupils want to write shorter texts, the few individual sentences will be more focused on when only shown one at a time. It could be difficult to find certain saved files in the Alphasmart because the saving system is said to be lacking a bit when many pupils have saved their texts in the same tool.
The Alphasmart is good for its purpose but I also think it is worth mentioning that you should not buy an Alphasmart instead of a computer, since the computer can do everything an Alphasmart can do and a bit more. You could buy a laptop with all its special effects for approximately the same price as the Alphasmart.