This Case Study by George Stephenson High School looks at improving the language development and literacy skills of Year 7 English students.
Title
Cre8txt - Developing Writing Skills Using New Technology (Hardware)
The use of a hand-held keyboard with SMS text translation and predictive text software with Y7 students during English lessons and when completing homework. The students will included a percentage of reluctant writers especially boys.
The aim of the project is to improve language development and literacy skills. To achieve this aims we hope to make use of the students existing competencies, skills and efficient usage of contemporary mobile phone keyboards.
Background
George Stephenson 11-18 High School, Southgate Killingworth NE12
Approximately 911 students
Setting up the Project:
30 Cre8txt handheld keyboards with software purchased.
30 1G memory sticks purchased.
It was necessary to obtain 2 copies of the software. One for the memory stick and one for each machine in the computer suite. (
30 machines.)
This was necessary as the software is designed to run from the memory stick. This allows the student to access their own bank of phrases and spellings no matter which computer they are using. This was not possible in the school as for security reasons students are not given permission to run .exe files. This meant that they used the stick only at home. The only way to build up a personal bank at school was to return to the same machine.
Another problem with the software was that once on a stick it is locked and cannot be transferred. Obviously this is for security reasons, but the website will only allow one download per code. A difficulty if a child breaks or loses the stick.
Setting up the software on the school machines had to be done machine by machine. Each download required quite a lengthy process involving email responses for further activation. (This amounted to 3 twilight visits to the school to install on site. Approximately 4hrs work.)
After set-up in the school due to internal problems the computers had to be re-built. The software was wiped. It was decided that the students would use the Cre8txt keyboards only in school. The software with the keyboard would be for use at home.
This may sound a little negative, but these factors made setting up the project very difficult. I believe that Cre8txt are working on a network install for the software. I still do not know how it will be possible to solve the running of .exe files on school networks.
What We Did
Students were given an online questionnaire before the project began to capture their views and attitudes. The questionnaire with additional questions was repeated at the end.
Students were encouraged to use the keyboard and software when completing homework.
The students were encouraged to use the keyboards in any English lesson that had access to computers.
Specific sessions were plotted into the English timetable for collaborative writing using the Cre8txt keyboards.
The students were covering poetry in English during the project period. It was important to the project that special or different lessons were not devised. We wanted to see if using Cre8txt would impact on the normal curriculum.
What We Found
Student reponses to the keyboard and software:
it is good to be able to use a keyboard like a mobile phone
it is too light and doesn’t sit in your hand properly
it really helps with spelling
the suggested phrases make you more adventurous
if you can type fast already on a qwerty keyboard using the Cre8txt one slows you down
Labels: 
Setting up the software on the school machines had to be done machine by machine. Each download required quite a lengthy process involving email responses for further activation. (This amounted to 3 twilight visits to the school to install on site. Approximately 4hrs work.)
lesson that had access to computers. 
Download Student Responses Document - Before
