We then play back each class's book reviews for the other classes. This is a great way to give students a chance to openly express themselves in front of an audience. Some of my colleagues have edited my tapes to use on our school's closed-circuit television system during the morning announcements. North Carolina teacher Cherryl Perkins predicts a notable boost in writing and reading skills now that students have portable word processors to use at home and school. The AlphaSmarts integrate well with all subjects and really motivate the students.
Students now type in everything from book reports to multiplication tables.
They can print their work out directly or hook their AlphaSmarts to the classroom computer and integrate their files with its software programs. The use of technology is growing, and all children need to become technology-literate. Results are printed out and posted. Observations made when conducting science experiments can be simultaneously typed into the AlphaSmarts. Perkins' students toted AlphaSmarts to the zoo and typed in comments, then took pictures with a digital camera.