Connecting Teachers
to Technology
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Idea Bank
How
to Use the AlphaSmart Pro
Keyboard
The directions are for the AlphaSmart
Pro keyboard and will be updated for the AlphaSmart
2000.
Create
a Tableau
A tableau is a great way to get your
students excited about literature. You can use this strategy
to involve the entire class in scenes that represent
different pages in a book. You can also capture each tableau
with a digital camera or video camera.
How to Use the
AlphaSmart Pro
The AlphaSmart Pro is a keyboard which
saves text to be sent to a word processor opened on a Macintosh or
IBM compatible computer. The AlphaSmart Pro has eight files for
you to save text into and use later. You can store up to 128,000
characters of text. These eight files hold:
- File 1 (8 pages)
- File 2-5 (6 pages)
- Files 6 & 7 (4
pages)
- File 8 (2 pages)
The AlphaSmart Pro does not have complete
formatting abilities. You are not able to cut, copy, paste, or
check spelling. When you first turn the AlphaSmart on, you will
see a 4 character high screen. To enter text, just start typing.
Use the Delete key to erase characters to the left. Use the
arrow keys to move the cursor around. To move the cursor several
lines, you can use a combination of keys or special
keys.
- home takes you to the beginning of
file
- end takes you to end of
file
- clear file asks you if you want to
clear file (y/n)
- up arrow_ moves cursor up 4
lines
- down arrow moves cursor down 4
lines
- left arrow moves cursor to end of
line
- right arrow moves cursor to
beginning of line
1. Entering Text into your AlphaSmart
Pro:
Turn switch on and start
typing.
As you type, you will see it appear in
the LCD window.
Use the keys above to check your
work.
2. Transfer your text to a
Computer:
Start your computer and the word
processing program you plan to use.
If you have a y-cable attached to the keyboard and one end
available (ADB cable), plug the free end into the correct port
(Mac or PC) of the AlphaSmart Pro. If you do not have the
cable, you have to disconnect the cable from the keyboard and
connect it straight into correct port on the AlphaSmart
Pro.
Press the Send key on the
AlphaSmart and watch it type into the word processor.
When you have finished, disconnect the cable from the
AlphaSmart and reconnect the ADB cable to the
keyboard.
3. Format your text on the
Computer:
Save your work on the computer
(or a disk) to make sure you don't lose it.
Format and edit the text and
document.
Save again.
4. Clear text on AlphaSmart and start
again or, to save, just turn the keyboard off.
The AlphaSmart does not have a
save button, but it does automatically save your work until you
clear the file.
Computer Strategies LLC
© 1998, all rights reserved
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Create
A Tableau
A Tableau is
a kinesthetic and visual learning strategy. Two or more people can
create a Tableau. A Tableau is a frozen picture in time which
reinforces a concept, an aspect of a topic, or each page in a
book. Each tableau can depict an individual concept or a series of
events. Tableaus have been used in interesting ways in historical
performances. Think of a curtain opening with a group of actors
frozen. Each scene can capture a moment in time, a series of
historical events, concepts from science or other curriculum
areas. Each of these scenes can be created from a storyboard or
result from scenes that dramatize a main idea of a piece of
literature and an incident in history.
Tableaus from
Literature
Example: Red Riding Hood
How many characters are in the story? Red Riding Hood,
grandmother, the wolf, and the hunter. Consider the main scenes
that represent the story:
- Red Riding Hood walking through the
forest with a bag of goodies.
- Wolf behind a tree hiding from Red
Riding Hood.
- Grandmother opening door to
wolf.
- Wolf in bed in grandmother's
clothing.
- Red Riding Hood talking to wolf in
grandmother's clothing.
- Hunter saving Red Riding
Hood.
- Grandmother with Red Riding Hood and
Hunter with wolf in handcuffs.
The scenes can be created in a variety ways. Besides giving live
performances of their Tableaus, students can use digital cameras
or videocameras to record and then format the scenes for a
computer presentation using HyperStudio or PowerPoint.
Creating a Tableau with
Your Class
- Have students read the story or
review topic being covered as part of the
curriculum.
- Discuss with the whole group the main
ideas and concepts of the stories and curriculum.
- Form groups of 4-6
students.
- Each group is given a theme, idea, or
chapter to be performed.
- Each group receives the text for the
narration or creates the narration to be read
later.
- Each group selects a leader to keep
the group on task.
- Each group has 10-15 minutes to
think, discuss, and rehearse their scene.
- The teacher calls on each group in
order to perform their scene.
- Each scene can start with a sound cue
such as a bell or hand clap.
- The teacher or an assigned student
reads the narration for each scene.
- After each scene, the teacher gives a
sound cue.
- The audience is encouraged to
applause after each scene.
After all the scenes, students can
discuss how they felt as characters in a book, offer a class
critique, and give feedback on their own participation in the
scenes.
Variations of
Tableaus
- Use key words or characters in
history and have all students assume a freeze.
- Divide the whole class in half and
let them work on the same scene.
- Have each group take a short story
and create their own storyboard where they draw each scene.
Have the group present their series of Tableaus to the whole
class.
Concluding
Activities
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