But we still expect standards. We still expect them to be able to write well and to write fluently, to spell effectively and to create interesting pieces of written work. So what does the role of the computer and all its peculiarities have to offer?
The spell check program and the grammar checker are a great help and they don't take away the skill of either; to be able to choose the correct word they have to have a recognition of the word shape and letter organisation, and as for the grammar checker, unless you know grammar well it can cause more problems than is realised. To be told the sentence is passive means nothing unless you have grasped the concept of passivity in the first place.
Being able to edit the work on screen is always a great bonus because the changes are made easier by cut and paste and children can make the change instantly rather than making a mess of their page of writing with all the crossings out and re-wording over the top. Little wonder few like to edit work on paper, by the tine they have finished it can look like the proverbial 'dog's dinner'.
As you can probably tell I am all for the idea of creating literacy using computers and for reasons more than I have listed here. The very action of striking the keys in a specific order teaches you how to spell a word without realising and often I have seen children striking imagined keys so as to transfer the spelling onto paper using a pen. Mild dyslexia is supported by various specialised programs which learns the child's own peculiarities in repeated spelling errors and flags it up for them. They have the choice then of changing it or not.
This piece of work was created by a girl in Year 5 using a computer. She has edited and considered not only what she is writing but the vocabulary and the flow. She was able to 'beautify' the work in her style and the pride with which she gave me a copy revealed how much time and consideration she had paid to completing it. The language is hers.
What I like doing most
by Nicola ******
Have you
ever been fighting along side warrior cats or flown on the back of magical
horses? Well I have, in wonderful,
fantastic books I have read and you could too. Reading, as you can guess, is my
hobby. I love books so much that without
them I would be a lostperson.
Throughout
the years I have grown to love books more and more and now I have reached a
stage where books are one of the only things I ask for on my birthday and at Christmas.
I find books very interesting because they can tell you facts and how to do
things which is one of the reasons I like them.
I have
listed some of the books that I have read before: rainbow magic, fire and ice,
the 39 clues series, the omen of the stars series and into the wild. The omen
of the stars series I have read most of the series but I just need to read the
book sign of
The moon.
Another
reason I like books is because it is a way to entertain your self and learn at
the same time. Books have inspired me to write great stories at school and at
home.
One of the
series of books I have been reading is called Warriors, I have really enjoyed
this series and I am on the fourth book in the series, which is called
dangerous path, which I love. Books I think are brilliant and I would recommend
reading to anyone who doesn’t read.
As I said I
love books and I want others to read to because it is a great thing to do when
you have spare time, the reason I like reading is because you can find out
about the character and their life. Another reason I like reading is because I
am good at it, my usual speed is one chapter book a day but sometimes it takes
two days.
The books I
like to read most are cat books some of my favourite are Thomasine, the omen of
the stars series and white chin. The reason I like cat books is because it’s
from the cat’s point of view which is different from the adults and children’s
point of view.
Well that
basically sums up why I like reading books.
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