|
A word processor is a computer program or device into which one can type text, and then save, edit and print that text again and again. In the computer age, many of us depend on the flexibility provided by word processors; students with learning disabilities don't use word processing as a convenient luxury, but as a necessity.
For many students, using a word processor is an effective tool for several reasons. First, editing is considerably easier on a word processor, making it possible for individuals to focus on creating meaning rather than the mechanics of writing.
The second way a word processor proves effective, is that it allows individuals to create neat and legible compositions, rather than the messier versions written out conventionally with pencil, paper, and erasure. The significance of outputting more professional-looking compositions has proven to motivate individuals to create longer written pieces (MacArthur, 1996).
A third, but less noted reason, is that word processors make writing more visible (ibid.). For many students with learning disabilities, reading their own handwriting is difficult and frustrating. In addition, for in-class writing, instructors can read student writing better when it is on the screen. Students can concentrate more on what they're writing, and less on editing and spelling; this visibility liberates them the nuts and bolts aspect of writing.
Benefits
• Circumvents handwriting, spelling problems;
• Improves spelling recognition;
• Makes revisions and multiple drafts much easier;
• Tables organize information graphically;
• Necessary for most jobs in the workplace.
Drawbacks
• Keyboarding is difficult for some students (although easier than handwriting);
• Expensive (but prices are decreasing);
• Power failures mean that no work can be accomplished;
• May encourage some students not to learn spelling and handwriting.
Note-taking
When students reach college, the amount of in-class writing increases, along with the assigned writing assignments out of class. For students who find a laptop too cumbersome to set up in class, a portable word processor can provide a simple tool for taking notes. Portable word processors are affordable and convenient computer companions that allow students to enter and edit text, then download the text to any desktop computer for formatting or printing.
User Implications
Throughout the past several decades, word processors have become ubiquitous. Many people, learning disabled or not, have become dependent on the facility of writing with a word processor. It is especially valuable to individuals who struggle with handwriting. For these students, the laborious task of writing out ideas is a deterrent due to the physical challenge, as well as the inability to read their own handwriting. The ease with which one can create legible text enables the user to make text changes and detect errors in grammar and spelling (MacArthur, 1996).
In addition to graphomotor difficulties, students with visual processing difficulties can be greatly supported by the flexibility word processors provide. Digital text can be enlarged or colored, and font style can be manipulated, to give weak visual learners better access to the text (MacArthur, 1996). Students with short-term memory weaknesses can also be empowered by a word processor because the time lapse between having an idea and capturing it is dramatically diminished. The burden of arranging a sentence and spelling words in a fixed way on paper vanishes when one can write with a word processor and easily revise or rework the idea, once expressed.
|
