Writing occurs across the curriculum and changes as students develop. The first three grades are typically spent with students learning to write. Beginning in the fourth grade, students write to learn. Students in special education frequently do not fit this time frame but teachers who work with these students must be aware of this progression. There are times when a student is still learning to write but is being pressured to write to learn and this typically results in frustration and failure.
Writing is a very difficult task for many students for many reasons.
For some students the use of a keyboard is much simpler both physically and cognitively than paper and pencil. An electronic format is much more forgiving and fluid than the paper and pencil method. Teachers and schools struggle with providing the needed technology to all students fairly and equitably. The AlphaSmart is not a replacement for a computer but is a companion and can be used in many situations where computers aren t accessible or there simply are not enough. Information can be printed directly from an AlphaSmart as well as sent from an AlphaSmart to a computer and sent from a computer to an AlphaSmart quickly and easily.