ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY:
The AlphaSmart DANA
By: Rosamaria Albano
Assistive technology is a booming business. It includes many products and software created to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of children with disabilities. These advancements have made it possible for people with disabilities to lead normal lives.
The product I chose is called DANA. It is a lightweight, wireless device that acts just like a computer. It is made by AlphaSmart, and manufactured by Intelligent Peripheral Devices, Inc. of Cupertino, California, a company devoted to creating affordable assistive products for people with disabilities. This company also manufactures the newer Neo product. A DANA has the following features:
• The combination of a full-size keyboard, the wide screen and Palm OS provides much of the functionality of a laptop.
• Dana Wireless has built-in Wi-Fi technology, which allows you to check your email or browse the web using a third-party web browser without a modem or cable. Use Dana's built-in IR (infrared) for beaming data between other Dana and Palm Powered device.
• Dana will run over 20,000 existing applications.
• Dana is lightweight and durable. It's easy to transport in a briefcase, backpack, or under your arm.
• Two Secure Digital and Multimedia Card-compatible slots let you add memory, add devices, backup your data and more.
• Can be easily synchronized with a home, classroom or dorm room PC to share data and software.
• Very affordable. A DANA costs $369 per unit, about a third of the price of a laptop. This, however, does not include storage cases and USB cables to connect to PCs or handhelds.
We have a set of DANAs I my school that the fifth grade students use for word processing. It is great for all students, especially hose with fine motor and other occupational therapy issues. Students who have difficulty writing will find this as easy to use as a computer. It is user friendly and a great motivation for students who love to type and use technology.
The DANA has received great reviews all around. It has been noted as easy to use for anyone and everyone. The Danas are different from laptops in several ways, says Chris Bryant, a vice president of the company that makes them. They are practically indestructible, very light and fit in a backpack, so kids could take them on field trips for note-taking and not worry about dropping them. And what do he students who actually use it say? "It's easier to complete your work," says Nick Booker, 10. "We can work much faster on it," says 11-year-old Aisha Anthony. "I write really hard with a pencil and sometimes it breaks," explains Hala El Barmil, 11. "This is much better." "I'm the computer expert in my house," says Andres Araneda. "This makes writing much easier," the 10-year-old explains (Edwards, 2004).
I would highly recommend this product in any school setting. The students I worked with loved using it, many had occupational therapy concerns and they felt success with a DANA. It is appropriate for all students, especially those who have trouble writing. It increases motivation to complete all school assignments.
References
Edwards, Ellen. “Dana by AlphaSmart energizes students in Fairfax County, VA.” Washington Post, June 9, 2004. www.washingtonpost.com.
7 comments:
The AlphaSmart Dana seems like a wonderful idea to use for students who have difficulty writing. The low cost should help districts be motivated to buy it for their students. Is there any difference between the the Dana and the regular AlphaSmart?
Roe,
Since you and I are in the same district I wonder why I have never seen this in use. Do we stop using this modification at the elem. levels? I know of some students who could really benefit from this device.
I have seen these being used and I have heard of great ways to use them. I teacher I work with said that he had a class set that was unused last year that he found useful for all of his students. He explained that documents typed into these Dana's can be "beamed" to each other. He used this strategy to do partnership editing with the whole class. What a great way to include the whole class in the use of technology!
I have had students who were using the regular AlphaSmart years ago, and it made such a difference! I can only imagine this being better and more effective!
The price seems hard to believe! If it is like a laptop, is there memory? Where do you save the documents? Maybe it's lack of memory is the explanation of the low price. Anyway, sounds very interesting and very useful!
Ro,
Excellent review. I don't really understand why there aren't more AlphaSmarts and Danas in classrooms. They seem like such a natural low-cost solution for the writing practice and productivity so many students need. Access to internet, save to storage device, connect to printer. And Mike, has a good point, that there are many uses at the high school level. Hopefully they will become more widely adopted as technology budgets shrink.
I personally cannot speak highly enough about the alpha smarts. I think they are an excellent tool at a reasonable price. We've been using them at my school for many years. Now that the ones we have are beginning to break down, the "higher ups" seem to be pushing more towards laptops. I'm not totally sure I agree because the Alphasmarts have a specific purpose and fewer ways for students to get distracted with. Although the new Alphasmart Dana seem to be capable of doing a lot more then the old ones that we have.
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