The AlphaSmart 3000 is a simple, highly-portable and affordable classroom device that allows every student in class to create, edit and store their own original compositions and essays. It is compatible with any computer, Macintosh or PC, and with most printers. It enables users to type, edit and electronically store text such as reports, essays, e-mail messages or notes, and to practice keyboarding, without having to be at a computer. The text can then be transferred to any computer for formatting, or directly to a printer. Its portability allows students to use it anywhere and anytime—in the classroom, at home or on field trips.
The AlphaSmart has been engineered to withstand handling by students, and features a kid-proof computer port. It includes a full-size keyboard and a four-line text display, weighs only two pounds, and runs on 3 AA batteries for 200-500 hours of typical use. The new AlphaSmart 3000, building upon the company’s 2000 product, includes expanded memory that allows storage of up to 100 pages of text in 8 files, includes cut/copy/paste and a built-in 70,000 word spell checker, interface options, and new software capabilities.
The AlphaSmart has already proven to be a very effective tool to teach children in elementary and middle schools how to write more effectively. It is not a computer and does not pretend to be one. It is simply a device to allow a student to compose up to 100 pages of information with the ability to do some minor formatting.
Due to the fact that you can pick it up and start using it within five minutes, the AlphaSmart has the potential to be a benefit to some students with learning disabilities. Using the Get Utility on the Alpha-Smart 3000, a teacher can store test questions and have the student answer the questions right on the AlphaSmart, allowing the student to be at his desk in the mainstream taking the test like everyone else.
Typing speed on the AlphaSmart can also be enhanced with the built-in feature of being able to switch from the standard QWERTY keyboard layout to Dvorak or even layouts designed for one-handed use for either hand. The AlphaSmart 3000 incorporates a completely new architecture that runs downloadable applets (mini-applications that perform a wide range of special programs and tutorials). One applet example is KeyWords, a keyboarding tutorial that helps students improve their typing skills through practice exercises and review tests. With additional features like sticky keys, useful for one-handed typing, show/hide control of hidden marks, and word search capabilities, the AlphaSmart can work as an extension of the desktop computer.
Teachers who work with children with ADD or ADHD have indicated that the AlphaSmart can make a significant difference in academic performance, the quantity of work accomplished in class, and even behavior. The AlphaSmart word processor is recommended for these students due to its simplicity, its ease of use in a variety of settings, and the ease with which written material can be modified, checked and printed. Students can type in notes, enter answers to practice worksheets and tests, practice spelling words on the machine, and use it to draft creative writing assignments. The frustrations of erasures and frequent misspellings are eliminated.
LINC has an AlphaSmart available for members to try out during Open Lab hours or to borrow from the loan library. For more information on this product, contact AlphaSmart, Inc., Customer Service and Sales at 888-274-0680, visit the website at www.alphasmart. com or send an e-mail to info@alphasmart.com.