Pocket Books @ Lee Bank School

Under construction !

"It's good because it is interesting and easy to carry around. All you have to do is put it in your pocket. The buttons are very clear, it is better than writing with your pen or pencil until your arm aches."

I have personally used Psion 3 machines and other palmtop computers over the last six or seven years, but had overlooked their educational potential. The school had been under resourced regarding IT for a number of years; after an OFSTED inspection last year, I decided to lease ten Pocket Books and a data sampling kit. These only arrived a few days before the project began, so it was only possible to give the children the briefest of experiences with the equipment before entering them into the project's initial phase. However, in preparation I had introduced to the concepts of data handling by using card indexes and other analogues of the work they would be doing.

Pocket Books provide a link between drafting, shaping and final presentation of ideas in a seamless way. Once children are taught to transfer text between applications, they are encouraged by the fact that nothing they had ever written needed to be completely rewritten, in other words, none of their effort is completely wasted. Also, children focus on word building and construction, rather than being distracted by forming letters. This enables children who have low esteem to get on with the task, rather than continually fretting over their perceived handwriting inaccuracies.

"I would like to take my Pocket Book to Jamaica. I could find out about Bob Marley and his family and his music and write about the President. I could find out the temperature of the sea."

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