The Value of Word Processing in the Classroom

As a special education teacher I find word processing programs to be a valuable tool for working with my students. Most, if not all of my students are reluctant writers. They all have different issues related to the task, but withminimal exceptions the use of a word processing program motivates them to try and they experience success (sometimes in spite of themselves). For some students fine motor skills to firmly grasp the writing instrument is the major dysfunction in the process, so for them a basic WP program is sufficient. A basic WP program can be used for visual impairments as well, by simply using a larger font. For others, spelling is a major problem, which can be overcome with a word prediction add on, such as co-writer. In other situations I have needed to use other assistive technology to accomodate eye gaze control and scanning programs to facilitate the writing process.

This past week I introduced students in my Reading/Writing class to the use of online word processing. It is in the early stages yet, and they are experiencing frustration because it works differently than the Microsoft Word format they are so used to. They do appreciate that I can edit for them while they are online and they get feedback from me much quicker than the "print a draft and hand it in" method used in the past. I did have one disturbing experience too. A student accessed the document from home and had a parent "edit" it for them. It was very clear that it was not the work of my student. This has been an issue over the years, which I have minimized by not assigning homework, but now will need to be addressed in a more proactive manner.

Last week in class I worked on a presentation. In class, on the Apple I used Prezentit.com, which I liked and had a great presentation. Unfortunately, I hadn't registered-I thought I could be a visitor-so I couldn't save it. When I tried to do it on the PC I had many issues. There doesn't seem to be equity in the user capabilities between PC and Mac. I got really frustrated. As a matter of fact I'm going to try some other presentation sites to complete that assignment. It was especially frustrating to me because I really wanted to duplicate the original, lost presentation from Prezentit.com. Once again, I learned I can't avoid signing in. If I want to use a service I have to be willing to give up my information in return.