Teresa Owens

Owens' "Foretelling the Future Through Palm Reading" is a language arts program specifically designed to improve the writing and reading skills of fifth graders through the use of PDAs, or (Palm Digital Application) computer devices. These PDAs allow students to create, compose and download assignments to a digital portfolio kept on the classroom computer without waiting for access to the classroom computer or a weekly computer lab. The teacher easily can view students' digital files to offer immediate feedback while also allowing parents access to their children's work via an e-board site. Students benefit from immediate feedback on spelling mistakes caught through the use of spell check along with important teacher-provided feedback on spelling, grammar and style that will improve writing, reading, keyboarding and technical skills in a fun, non-intimidating manner.