How to use a Livescribe Pulse Pen

by Tara Seale

I recently acquired a Livescribe Pulse Pen, and although I am not an expert, within one week I was able to create the Pencast below that explains my knowledge so far and embed it in this blog.  The pen is a tech gadget that users can begin using right out of the box.  The start book that guides users through the first lesson with the pen, provides enough information to begin recording and creating content right away.  I am currently formulating a list of ideas for teachers and students who would like to use the pen in a classroom, and I will write a blog post in the near future to share, but I wanted to begin with a general explanation of how the pen operates.  The text on the page is called active text which means it has audio attached to the text.  It will change to dark green as the audio is played to coordinate what is being said with what is being written. 

Pencast How to operate the Livescribe Pen
brought to you by Livescribe

Comments

[Brian S. Friedlander]

I have been using and demonstrating the Livescribe Pulse Smartpen for the last year and a half and am an Assistive Technology Consultant who works with students with learning disabilities. The Livescribe Pen is one of the most innovative tools I have come across for students who need note taking support. Using a keyword strategy the Livescribe Pen is an ideal classroom tool. I too have heard from administrators that the Livescribe Pen is problematic because of confidentiality rules and regulations. I would think that if the Livescribe Pen were written into a student's IEP, which I would recommend, then that would be enough legal grounds to use it in the classroom. I to would like to see the legal grounds for prohibiting a student from using it in the classroom if it is written into the IEP. I have had some great success stories using this technology and I would hope that schools would be open to exploring how these technologies could benefit all children in our classrooms.

Regards
Brian S Friedlander, Ph.D.
http://assistivetek.blogspot.com

[Tara Seale]

Jane,
I currently only have a teacher pen, and not a class set of Livescribe pens, so my students are unfortunately not using the pens in class. I am trying to imagine a situation in which the pen would violate confidentiality of other students. If your daughter is only using the pen to increase her understanding in class, and she is not posting the information to the web or sharing it with others, then I am not sure how it is violating the confidentiality of the other students. College students use the pens in large classrooms, and from what I understand, they must have permission from the teacher, but I do not believe they must also have permission from the students in the class. Maybe your daughter's English department knows of an incident in which using a pen in the classroom created a problem with confidentiality issues, and now they are proceeding cautiously. I will have to look into this and see if I can find an instance in which this has been a problem.
Thanks for your question.

[Jane]

Dear Ms. Seale,

My daugher, who has dyslexia, used the Pulse Pen in 9th grade. She is now in 10th grade and the English department has concerns about students using any sort of recording technology out of respect for the confidentiality of other students. Is this a concern that you have explored?