Primary Writing

As schools really grasp the key issues of effective reading, the problems of writing are becoming evident.

Though most teachers agree that the best way to become a better writer is to write motivation to write is a key factor in developing writing skills.

The traditional method of handwriting text acts as a disincentive for many writers. Teachers are however finding that using NEO and NEO 2 in the classroom helps to remove some of the barriers to the writing process. Children love using NEOs. They write more and more often. They are not presented with a large blank sheet of paper but see a window for writing which can be relatively quickly filled with words.

Redrafting does not mean a complete re-write of handwritten text. With Neos children can cut, copy, paste, find and replace, spell check and use thesaurus functions.

The Primary Framework for Literacy’s ‘Presentation’ strand expects children to have the opportunity for writing for a range of purposes on screen. From Year 1 children should use the space bar and keyboard to type their name and simple texts to Year 4 when they should use word processing packages to present written work and continue to increase speed and accuracy in typing.

NEO 1 and NEO 2 provide a cost effective, portable and effective solution because children can develop their keyboard skills at an early stage using the built in KAZ typing tutor. This ensures that children use the keyboard correctly at an early stage and don’t have to ‘un-learn’ habits later.

Many schools still experience a void when it comes to writing tools. NEOs support writing across the curriculum through a cost effective and adaptable system. NEOs run on 3 AA batteries and, because of their exceptional efficiency, the batteries will last about a year with normal school use. So there are no recharging issues with NEOs and they are totally portable around the school.

There are no internet or games distractions so that children can remain focussed and on task with their writing. Teachers can create differentiated frameworks for writing which will support the writing process and can provide a structure for writing.

Beaming text wirelessly between one NEO and another allows users to share text for creative writing or for review. Redrafting and editing work becomes a much less onerous task and increases the ownership level of the writing.

Guided writing can be very effectively supported using NEOs to provide a flexible system that allows sharing of text as well as cooperative working on a single text using several NEOs connected to one computer.