Dr. Peet's TalkWriter

Positive Results
A random sample of the 3 and 4-year-old children in the Odessa, Texas special ed classrooms were given letter identification and name writing pre-tests in December. By the second month, all children coming to the classrooms with the computer centers demonstrated a marked increase in ability to move among the centers, share access to popular programs, and cooperate with other children and staff. So the social process results were easy to see and showed up early.
We have found some extremely interesting results in the post-tests administered in May, which can be summarized briefly: All of the children in the sample are now capable of operating a computer significantly more effectively than they were in December. All of the children learned to use the return, spacebar, and arrow keys, as they used programs like Facemaker Gold, which require them to be able to find and press those keys. All except one of the children identified more randomly chosen test letters in the post-test than they could identify in the pre-test.
And all of these increases in ability took place without direct teaching - simply through the process of 'playing' with the fascinating software. The Odessa research effort mirrors in some ways the work done by Interest-Driven Learning in 1987-88 with Carol Brennan's kindergarten classroom at the University of Hawai'i lab school. The 10 regular ed kindergarteners in that study were given similar pre/post tests. They could, of course, identify more letters than the younger Texas children and many could manually write their first names on the pre-test, but interestingly, on the post-test, all of the ten could write short sentences (e.g. 'I like candy.') on the big letter talking word processor in an average of two minutes. The ten first graders in the class were also tested for comparison on their non-talking big letter word processor, Magic Slate II, and they took an average of one minute. The exciting thing to the researchers was that with only five or six individual sessions on the talking word processor, the five year olds were able to come quite close to the performance of the older children.

Here is the challenge: If we have been able to achieve so much with our small early efforts, it is possible to achieve so much more in every preschool and kindergarten across the country. All we need are the computers, the good software and guidance in converting our early education process to fully take advantage of the promise of the microcomputer - a play arena where children can create their own reading and writing skills in English, just as they created their own basic listening and speaking skills as babies.

Let's make it happen!

OVERALL GOAL:
Find each child's interests, intelligence and style and use computer/other resources to develop personalized interest-driven reading/writing curriculum.

HOW TO DO THIS:

Let kids play with interest-driving software until they each pick out the 'right stuff,' then let them evolve to 'next stuff,' learning as they go.
Constantly assess for interest, and when you find each child's interests, let them read and write about them during language arts time. Assemble the best books, magazines and interactive fiction you can find about skateboarding, Barbie dolls, superheroes, TV idols, etc. - everything that you discover in the kids' CLIENTs
Get children writing, printing and sending or taking home letters to people they love (single most important reason we use print medium) with word processor you have chosen for them.
Constantly assess new and existing software for packages that fascinate and empower your kids, as well as require them to take the next step in teaching themselves to read and write.

HOW EVERYBODY CAN BE INCLUDED:
If you have students who cannot use the regular keyboard or mouse, choose an alternative or adaptive access measure. You have a choice of full class participation, small group, and individual computer time when using adaptive access. Here is an example of 7 adaptive devices that may be used singly or in a small group setting (community skills can be reiterated just as they are in whole classroom participation by assigning specific jobs for each student or simply taking turns).

TouchWindow is a peripheral that may be attached to the computer monitor or used on a table surface--plug this device into the keyboard port of a MacIntosh LC or Apple IIGS.
Intellikeys is a large-size membrane keyboard that allows the option of custom-designed overlays for individual students--using the other portion of the TouchWindow cord, plug the Intellikeys up.
Regular Keyboard may also be used simply by connecting it to the remaining portion of the Intellikeys' cord.
Ke:nx is an interface device which allows access of a variety of peripherals to the computer--unhook the mouse from the right side of the keyboard and plug the Ke:nx in this port (the Ke:nx uses its own software that requires installation ahead of time).
Trackballs come in a variety of designs to accommodate the consumer--plug the trackball into one of the single ports on the Ke:nx. If using the S.A.M. (Switch Adapted Mouse) Trackball, simply plug it in the keyboard in place of the mouse, and you have not only an excellent trackball but an easy interface for switches.
The Mouse may continue to be used by plugging it into certain types of trackballs or by plugging it into the Ke:nx when a trackball is not being used.
An Adaptive Switch may be plugged into the remaining Ke:nx single port (see Ablenet in the bibliography).
Augmentative Devices such as the Liberator may be connected to the 24-pin port on the Ke:nx (see bibliography for Prentke-Romich information).

Resource Listing: [Article included list of resources duplicated and expanded upon in our "Software References" page on this
website.]

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