An AlphaSmart for each student: Do teaching and learning change with full access to word processors?

Abstract Research shows that regular use of computers for writing over an extended period of time can have a positive impact on the quantity and quality of student writing. The lack of large numbers of computers in schools and in classrooms presents a major impediment to providing students with regular access to computers. The introduction of laptops and/or portable writing devices such as AlphaSmarts into classrooms provides opportunities for teachers to increase student access to word processing tools. This article examines how teaching and learning change when three fourth-grade classrooms are equipped with one AlphaSmart for each student. Findings are based on observations conducted before and after full access to AlphaSmarts was provided on, student and teacher interviews, and on students’ depictions of themselves working in the classroom. The general findings include increased use of AlphaSmarts by students for writing in all subject areas, increased student ownership of and fluency with technology, changes in teachers’ policies regarding technology use in the classroom, increased ease in managing the use of technology in the classroom, increased peer-to-peer and teacher-to-student conferencing, and improvements in the quality of student writing.