By Denise DeSimone
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was the first law to include assistive technology in the list of special education services allowed to appear in a student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP). (Threshold, Winter 2005) IDEA defines assistive technology as follows: “…any item, piece of equipment or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of children with disabilities.” (Federal Register, August 19, 1991) One such piece of equipment is the Neo by AlphaSmart, manufactured by Intelligent Peripheral Devices, Inc. of Cupertino, California.
The AlphaSmart Neo is a lightweight, portable word processor that allows the user to enter text, and then send it to any computer or printer. It has a storage capacity of 2MB of software and 512KB of data, and is compatible with most desktop computers (PC or Macintosh). It costs approximately $230 per unit.
This particular piece of equipment is helpful to students whose disabilities include poor fine motor skills resulting in poor handwriting. For these students, writing is a laborious process and the AlphaSmart allows them to focus more on thinking rather than on the physical act of writing, resulting in the student being able to put his/her thoughts and ideas on paper more easily. It has also been helpful in lessening those students’ embarrassment about their handwriting, thereby raising their self-esteem and willingness to write. The AlphaSmart significantly lowers the students’ frustration level as well, also increasing their willingness to write. In one research study, it was found that the AlphaSmart enabled students to feel more comfortable with the writing process, which, in turn, made them more willing to attempt and complete tasks, thereby improving their achievement in writing. The AlphaSmart has also been helpful to students with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), as it can help them organize their work, take notes, and keep track of assignments. The responses of both students and teachers were generally positive.
I believe that the AlphaSmart is an assistive technology that is effective for improving student achievement in writing, especially for students with poor fine motor skills. I would recommend its use for many reasons:
· It encourages the struggling writer to write;
· It is portable and easy to use;
· It is relatively inexpensive;
· It is compatible with most desktop computers;
· It has a simple operating system.
The “struggling writer” with special needs can benefit greatly from the use of this technology. It alleviates the problem with fine motor skills and self-esteem, thereby removing one barrier to writing. The student needs to have a level of comfort before s/he begins to write, and this product can help create an environment in which the student is at ease and willing to attempt the task at hand.
References
AlphaSmart and Student Achievement.
SUNY Stony Brook. 4 Feb. 2007.
Bausch, Margaret E., and Ted S. Hasselbring. "Using AT: Is It Working?" AssistiveTechnology Research Institute, University of Kentucky. 4 Feb. 2007.
Wahl, Lisa. "Assistive Technology Enhances Learning for All." Edutopia. 5 Aug. 2003. 4 Feb. 2007.
Wanderman, Richard. "The AlphaSmart Keyboard and Learning Disabilities." LD Resources. 4 Feb. 2007.
The AlphaSmart Neo is a lightweight, portable word processor that allows the user to enter text, and then send it to any computer or printer. It has a storage capacity of 2MB of software and 512KB of data, and is compatible with most desktop computers (PC or Macintosh). It costs approximately $230 per unit.
This particular piece of equipment is helpful to students whose disabilities include poor fine motor skills resulting in poor handwriting. For these students, writing is a laborious process and the AlphaSmart allows them to focus more on thinking rather than on the physical act of writing, resulting in the student being able to put his/her thoughts and ideas on paper more easily. It has also been helpful in lessening those students’ embarrassment about their handwriting, thereby raising their self-esteem and willingness to write. The AlphaSmart significantly lowers the students’ frustration level as well, also increasing their willingness to write. In one research study, it was found that the AlphaSmart enabled students to feel more comfortable with the writing process, which, in turn, made them more willing to attempt and complete tasks, thereby improving their achievement in writing. The AlphaSmart has also been helpful to students with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), as it can help them organize their work, take notes, and keep track of assignments. The responses of both students and teachers were generally positive.
I believe that the AlphaSmart is an assistive technology that is effective for improving student achievement in writing, especially for students with poor fine motor skills. I would recommend its use for many reasons:
· It encourages the struggling writer to write;
· It is portable and easy to use;
· It is relatively inexpensive;
· It is compatible with most desktop computers;
· It has a simple operating system.
The “struggling writer” with special needs can benefit greatly from the use of this technology. It alleviates the problem with fine motor skills and self-esteem, thereby removing one barrier to writing. The student needs to have a level of comfort before s/he begins to write, and this product can help create an environment in which the student is at ease and willing to attempt the task at hand.
References
AlphaSmart and Student Achievement.
SUNY Stony Brook. 4 Feb. 2007
Bausch, Margaret E., and Ted S. Hasselbring. "Using AT: Is It Working?" AssistiveTechnology Research Institute, University of Kentucky. 4 Feb. 2007
Wahl, Lisa. "Assistive Technology Enhances Learning for All." Edutopia. 5 Aug. 2003. 4 Feb. 2007
Wanderman, Richard. "The AlphaSmart Keyboard and Learning Disabilities." LD Resources. 4 Feb. 2007
AlphaSmart photo found on Google Images
3 comments:
Denise,
This sounds like an affordable answer to many students difficulties. Although I have never used one,I am going to observe one in our Language Development class sometime soon.
We use AlphaSmarts in our school. They are wonderful! Students who could not write their ideas down on paper because of OT difficulties are able to use this product and keep up with the writing their teachers assign.
Excellent - this is a mainstay for AT to improve writing. However with all its functionality it would be a low cost solution for many other users. I like that you cited some research.
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