In a kindergarten class, students create small books on the computer. One writing project that helps students recognize both numbers and letters involves making a ''phone book'' that collects classmates' names and numbers. When writing or listening to a story, or working on projects using paint or graphics programs, children are also using spelling and vocabulary functionally. And as children use words, they begin to read.
Children write freely on the word processor.
Some researchers find that children's word processing is more like speech than other writing, and children choose to spend more time on language acquisition in classrooms with a word processor. When children are motivated by technology, learning is fun and students become actively involved in the learning process. The opportunity to develop language skills occurs when listening, reading, speaking, and writing skills are combined in real tasks. Language arts projects, such as having students use computers to develop a newspaper to be shared with parents and other students, can dramatically improve language mechanics while, at the same time, enhancing attitudes toward writing and other language skills. 1 Using word processing results in fewer grammar, punctuation, and capitalization errors, especially among students with low abilities.