Currents in Literacy

The Alpha Smart Project: A Link Between Writing and Technology Throughout the Curriculum

By Elaine Bukowiecki

Introduction

In elementary school, middle school, and secondary school classrooms today, the use of technology is a prominent part of classroom life. Word processing programs, organizational (outlines, webs) software, and graphic packages are employed as students participate in all aspects of the writing process (prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, publication). The Internet is used as a rich resource of information as students research a variety of topics throughout the curriculum. Electronic mail is also employed as a link with parents, with other classrooms throughout the school, with students in other schools, and with people in a variety of places. Finally, students engage with various media (slides, videotape, CD-ROM programs, etc.) to create classroom presentations which are creative, interesting, and enjoyable.

To assist and support teachers and students in their endeavors to incorporate technology into their classroom curricula, various articles in and special editions of educational journals have been published. For example, Instructor included special sections regarding the purchase of computer software, hardware, and Internet connections (March, 1998); the use of technology to assist children "at risk" for learning (May/June, 1999); and the effectiveness of electronic learning in the classroom (October, 1997). In like manner, Educational Leadership recently devoted two entire editions (November, 1997; February, 1999) concerning the inclusion of technology into classroom curricula and instruction at a variety of levels (elementary school, middle school, secondary school, and post-secondary school).

Since technology, specifically the computer, has been proven to be a valuable tool in helping students to successfully take part in all aspects of the writing process, the Alpha Smart Project was undertaken in a fifth-grade classroom at the Hardy Elementary School in Arlington, Massachusetts. The field-based research project was guided by teacher Barbara Siegel, and Elaine Bukowiecki, a Lesley University core faculty member working with the Hood Children's Literacy Project. From November 1998 to May 1999, Siegel and Bukowiecki interacted with these fifth grade students as they employed the Alpha Smart keyboard in every subject of their fifth-grade curriculum. Siegel and Bukowiecki's research question was: Will the use of the Alpha Smart keyboard improve the quality and quantity of these fifth graders' writing?

What is an Alpha Smart keyboard?

The Alpha Smart 2000 keyboard (the Alpha for short) is a type of PDA (personal digital assistant) and consists of a four-line by forty-character LCD display. It offers eight separate memory files, totaling sixty-four kilobytes and equaling approximately sixty-four pages of single-spaced text in all. It uses AA or NiCad rechargeable batteries and weighs about two pounds. It costs less than $250, including cable and a carrying case. "The keyboard essentially is a small, lightweight, laptop computer with just the basic functions for word processing" (Stokes, 1999, p. 6). Once the text has been typed on the Alpha keyboard, the student's work is typically downloaded into any word processing application of any computer (PC or Macintosh) for display, substantial revision and editing, and eventually printing. In the case of Barbara Siegel's classroom, six Alpha Smart keyboards were introduced to be used in combination with the three desktop computers already available.

Pre-Study Data

From the moment one enters Barbara Siegel's fifth-grade classroom, one knows this is a classroom where writing and the writing process are valued. The students are constantly writing. The students write detailed, multi-chapter reports about science topics and their own lives; they write in response to the novels they are reading; they write poetry; they write fiction and nonfiction texts; and they write math problems for their peers to solve. Most of the writing which Siegel's students do follows all the steps of the writing process (prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, publication). Since Siegel is a writer herself, she is a constant model for this writing process. Parents often volunteer and are present in this classroom to assist the students as their drafts become published pieces. Therefore, it was in this very safe and supportive writing climate that this Alpha Smart Project began.

The first step in this Alpha Smart Project was for the students to complete a survey describing their attitudes toward writing. This survey was based upon one created by Nanci Atwell (1987) in her book, In the Middle. On this survey, each student stated if he/she is a writer, how he/she learned to write, what constitutes being a good writer, the type of writing the student likes to do, who or what has influenced the student's writing, and the student's general feelings about writing. The students would then answer these same survey questions at the conclusion of the Alpha Smart Project to ascertain if there was any change in students' writing attitudes at the conclusion of this study.

In this pre-study survey, all of the students, except for two, considered themselves writers. Several students felt that reading books and practicing writing help to influence one's writing. Many students believed that one writes to express his/her own feelings, to use one's imagination, to become famous, and to practice writing mechanics. These students described various types of written pieces they have created: stories about their own lives, reports, letters to family members and friends, fiction, and nonfiction. Overall, these surveys revealed these fifth graders to have very positive attitudes about writing and being a writer.

Besides evaluating these writing surveys, Bukowiecki examined three pieces of student writing as part of this pre-study data collection. Each of these writing samples was quite different from each other. The first sample was a well researched and detailed nonfiction report regarding an animal of the student's choice. The second sample was a personal remembrance about a particular event from the student's life that presented a challenge to the student. The final piece of writing was a letter each student wrote to Siegel during the first week of school about him/herself, his/her family, and what the student would like to learn in fifth grade this new school year. The animal report and the challenge story contained the entire writing process. The letter was a first and only draft.

Each of these three pieces of writing was evaluated by means of one of the rubrics developed to evaluate student writing by the members of the Hood Children's Literacy Project. With this rubric, a student's writing is categorized into four levels (Level 4: Most Successful; Level 3: Upper Half; Level 2: Lower Half (Basic); Level 1: Least Successful) and is evaluated for content, organization, sentence structure, mechanics, and word choice.

When this rubric was applied to the three pieces of writing Siegel's students composed, each written piece received a rubric score of 3 or 4. Each student's three written pieces represented the content of the piece well, were well organized, and contained grade-appropriate sentence structure, mechanics, and vocabulary. These three writing samples were also most interesting to read.

Beginning the Project

Before the Alpha Smart Project commenced, three measures were taken. First, a schedule was created which described the timeline for the entire project. Next, Siegel and Bukowiecki wrote a letter to the students' parents which detailed the Alpha Smart Project and described the care for the Alphas. The students' parents had to give written permission for the children to participate in this project. Finally, the students brainstormed a list of rules for caring for and using the Alphas. These rules included:

1. Don't use the Alpha Smart keyboard when eating food.

2. No drinking when using the Alpha Smart keyboard.

3. Keep the Alpha Smart keyboard in a safe place.

4. Don't play with the batteries.

5. Preserve batteries by turning the Alpha Smart keyboard off when not using it.

6. Handle the Alpha Smart keyboard responsibly.

7. Keep the Alpha Smart keyboard in its case when not using it.

Alpha Smarts in a Fifth-Grade Classroom

As soon as the six keyboards were introduced to Siegel's fifth-grade class in November, it became very clear that this technological tool was going to become a very important writing instrument for these fifth graders. Siegel developed a rotating system for the students to use the keyboards, both in the classroom and at home. Quickly, the Alphas were used for writing across the curriculum. For example, students worked in small groups and wrote math problems for other groups of students to solve. To complete homework assignments, students used the Alphas to answer questions regarding character and plot development for the novels Bridge to Terabithia and Where the Red Fern Grows. Some students used the Alphas to complete social studies homework assignments and tests regarding the Revolutionary War. In science, the students penned detailed research reports regarding a planet from our Solar System. Depending upon each student's writing style, the keyboards were used for varying stages of the writing process. Some students completed the entire writing process for one piece with the keyboard. Other students used the "Alphas" just for the publication stage of their writing. Regardless of the manner in which the students employed the Alphas as well as the frequency these keyboards were used by individual students, these keyboards certainly became a popular and important instrument for writing in this classroom.

One exciting class project in which the Alpha Smart keyboards became a vital instrument for writing was the Landmark Internet Contest. Children from various parts of the United States and the world participate in this geography-based contest. To begin this competition, each classroom of students taking part in the Landmark Contest was asked to compose a letter which highlighted both the school and the community where the school was located. Working in small groups, Siegel's students wrote their letter describing the Hardy School and Arlington, Massachusetts. In each group, one student served as the group's scribe and used a keyboard to compose a portion of this letter. The students wrote about classroom work and school activities, the style of dress at the school, the composition of the Arlington Public Schools, and some of the important community events in Arlington such as Town Day and Patriot's Day. Once each group completed its first draft of a particular section of this letter, the separate sections were merged together into one text. Then, using a large monitor, the entire class edited this letter together in a word processing application. In composing this letter, all of these fifth graders experienced the writing process first hand. Also, they were able to clearly see how technology can facilitate this writing process.

At the conclusion of the Alpha Smart Project, Bukowiecki evaluated the students' writing which was completed during this project. The same rubric was used to evaluate these writing samples as was employed to examine the students' writing before the Alphas were introduced. An examination of the writing the students completed across the curriculum during the Alpha Smart Project revealed written pieces which were detailed in content, clearly organized, and contained correct and appropriate mechanics (spelling, punctuation, sentence structure, and word choice). Thus, these writing samples were not conspicuously better than those penned by the students before the keyboards were introduced. Could one then say that the keyboard was a valuable addition to this fifth-grade classroom? Although the use of these Alpha Smart keyboards did not reveal markedly improved writing, both in quality and quantity, the implementation of the Alphas did clearly show a change in the students' attitudes regarding technology. The keyboard became a natural writing instrument just as a pencil or a pen. The students became quite comfortable employing the Alphas to compose, revise, edit, and publish various pieces of writing throughout the curriculum. These fifth graders now saw technology as something not to fear but rather as a valuable tool in helping them to engage in the writing process.

Student Feedback on the Alpha Smart

At the conclusion of this study, the students' opinions regarding writing and the use of the Alpha Smart keyboard for writing were ascertained. First, the students completed the same writing attitude survey (based upon Atwell, 1987) which they had responded to at the beginning of the study. An analysis of these post-study surveys revealed the same positive attitudes about writing, the writing process, and being writers which the students stated at the start of this study. The students appeared to find a comfort level with writing and wrote reports and fiction stories, poems and imaginary stories, personal interest stories, and pieces to communicate their own thoughts and feelings. These surveys revealed the students' opinions concerning what a writer needs in order to write. Thus, a writer needs "a good imagination, patience, and good ideas; to practice writing; concentration and confidence; one's own style; experiences and enjoyment of writing; to know how to revise; good mechanics; and a sharpened pencil." All of the students, except one, stated that they are writers. (This was a change from before the study when two students said they were not writers.) Finally, three of the students, including the one student who stated he was not a writer, revealed the use of the keyboards has influenced their writing. The Alphas have allowed these students to "write a lot of things in detail and have made it easier to revise and edit work." The analysis of these surveys confirmed what the students had expressed in the pre-study surveys, and what Bukowiecki observed throughout this study: that is, the students is Siegel's fifth-grade classroom are indeed writers. Additionally, the use of the keyboards has made this entire writing process easier.

Besides completing a writing attitude survey, the students also orally expressed their opinions regarding their use of the Alphas. These student attitudes concerning the keyboards were stated to Bukowiecki in individual student interviews. An analysis of these interviews points out most positive student opinions about the Alpha Smart keyboards being employed in their fifth grade. The students found the Alphas to be convenient and portable, allowing the students to use them at sports events, in an automobile, at home, and in school. "You can carry the Alpha anywhere." The students liked the fact that the Alphas are lightweight, are easier to type with compared to other computer keyboards, and do not need to be plugged into an electrical outlet for use. The students also found it helpful that documents were automatically saved in the Alpha and could still be retrieved after the keyboard had been turned off. Additionally, the students felt the keyboards helped them with their writing. Thus, using the Alphas caused the students to be "more interested in writing," helped to improve the students' keyboarding skills, facilitated homework projects, allowed students to "write faster," assisted the editing process, made typing more enjoyable, aided correct sentence structure, and "made it more fun to write."

The students in Siegel's classroom used the Alpha Smart keyboards in various ways and to different degrees. Some children used the Alphas as often as possible, both at home and at school. Others just employed the keyboards in school. Several of the children used the Alphas for the entire writing process. A few students stated they would have used the keyboards more if they had more proficient keyboarding skills. Two of the students' families purchased Alpha Smart keyboards for their homes. Finally, one student used the Alpha inclusively, both at home and in school, when he broke his arm and could not write.

Although the students in Siegel's fifth grade found the Alpha Smart keyboards to be a helpful and enjoyable writing tool throughout the curriculum, they did state two negative aspects of the Alphas. Overwhelmingly, the students felt the spell check feature needed improvement. "It says you misspelled a word when the word is right." Also, these fifth graders found not being able to see an entire paragraph of text on the screen was a disadvantage of the Alpha Smart keyboard. (Only four lines of text can be seen at a time.) However, in spite of these two disadvantages, the students in Siegel's class found the Alpha Smart keyboard to be a wonderful aid to the writing process.

In addition to interviewing the students in this class, Bukowiecki also had an interview with Siegel regarding the implementation of the Alpha Smart keyboards in her classroom. Siegel found her students' interest in and proficiency with writing and technology have increased as they have used the Alphas this school year. The children are not afraid of technology and are quite willing and comfortable in using the keyboard as a writing instrument. Siegel has seen her students' writing become more detailed and organized since the introduction of the keyboards. Siegel's enthusiasm for classroom use of the Alpha Smart keyboard is contagious. One can only wish that more than the present six keyboards could be employed in this classroom.

Conclusion

"New technology-based models of teaching and learning have the power to dramatically improve educational outcomes" (Dede, 1997, p. 12). During the seven months the students in Siegel's fifth grade used the Alpha Smart keyboards as they wrote in every subject of their curriculum, these students displayed a continued skill in and enjoyment with writing as well as developed a comfort level for using technology for writing. Although the results of this study did not specifically reveal a dramatic change in the students' attitudes toward writing nor a noticeable improvement in the quantity in and quality of the students' writing once the Alpha Smart keyboards were introduced, the ease with which these students accepted and employed technology as a writing tool was most apparent. Thus, one can hope these students' enthusiasm for technology as a positive assistant to their writing and learning processes will only increase as they continue their education beyond the Hardy School.

References

Atwell, N. (1987). In the Middle. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Dede, C. (1997). "Rethinking How to Invest in Technology." Educational Leadership, 55 (3), 12-16.

Stokes, W.T. (1999) "Technology and the Writing Process." Currents in Literacy, 2(1), 6.

Elaine Bukowiecki is an Assistant Professor at Lesley University and has taught classes on literacy there for eight years. She is also a language arts coordinator for the Putnum, Connecticut Public Schools.