alphasmart - yes or no?

[madwomanintheattic]

dd2's ot has suggested alphasmart (presume neo) for school. we are not in the uk at present, but remember these are reasonable common in the uk?

she's 6 (yr/ grade 1) but very computer literate - uses normal keyboard/ mouse and can navigate between files/ applications... just can't really maintain pencil grasp lol.

anyone's dc currently using one? salesy type lady explained you can download to pc for twiddly bits/ finishing work etc (compatible with ms office?) but much preferable than laptop in terms of portability/ battery life/ saving/ ruggedness etc.

teacher also wanted to download worksheets etc but i'm guessing it's type only for screen?

grateful for all input tbh - for various funding reasons we are likely to have to self-fund in the first instance (been there before with a heathfield chair that's now gathering dust in the cupboard as new ot has other ideas...) so really need to make the right decision!

pros/ cons, all experieinces gratefully received!

Ours was good- for the day it lasted before ds2 stepped on it.

Not all that rugged, sadly.

But looked promising.

not quite what i wanted to hear lol... dd2 seems slightly less clumsy now but our days of 'new everything' needed courtesy of piedros are still fairly vivid...

do you think they would stand up to, erm, reasonable usage? or is it all sales-pitch about being able to drop them from a metre etc etc?

crafty bump for the monday morning crowd... peachy's ds can't be the only alphasmart almost-user, can he?

i should get her a laptop?...

DS1 used one at school for a few years, he only brought it home a few times, but it seemed good. Has 8 files where they can save work and download it onto a PC to print off. It is just a small screen tho.
DS1 has a laptop now that the education dept provided for secondary school.

oo, hello. shouldn't you be in bed?

thanks though! wasn't expecting such a swift reply! had ds1 used a laptop/ computer before the alphasmart, or was it his 'first' technology? (apols for nosiness ) dd2 is used to using a computer at home (and in IT lessons) and i'm a bit worried that she might see it as a step 'down'. i think we can get away with it, by explaining it is a writing tool, and then she can come home and download etc, but curious about others experiences...

Ds1 has always been techy savvy and he didn't see the alphasmart as a step down, though he loves having his own laptop now

brilliant - thanks