by Carla Beard
I was talking with a group of teachers, trying to show them that technology integration is not the education of the future; it is the education of right now. I reached into my book bag and pulled out a netbook.
"It has a full-sized keyboard," I pointed out, "and it will fit in a student's backpack without any trouble. They cost around $300, but prices keep going down. Pretty soon they'll cost about the same as good pair of sneakers. Kids will be able to bring their own computers to school." The teachers smiled politely and passed it around.
I reached into my book bag and pulled out a Flip camera. "Remember all the TV upgrades we went through for that January deadline now that everything is broadcast in HD? Well, this little camera shoots in HD." I flipped open the USB arm. "This will plug right into your computer, and you can upload to YouTube something you just shot." I reminded them of the power of the pictures from the tsunami that hit Indonesia a few years ago. The earliest images weren't from professionals; ordinary people used readily available technology to fast-track relief efforts. The teachers nodded, but cameras were just not part of their curriculum. They passed it along.
I reached into my book bag and pulled out a Pulse Smartpen that -- full disclosure here -- the people at Livescribe had sent me for review. The Smartpen is a ball-point pen with built-in camera, microphone, playback speakers, and LED screen. It's a little thicker and heavier than, say, a Bic pen; but after a couple of minutes, the user won't notice that.
I showed the teachers how it works. As the user writes, the camera by the pen's tip creates an image, and the microphone records. Later, students just tap the paper at the point they had written something, and they can listen to everything that was being said at the time. If they forget to write something down, it will be there in the audio file.
Students can also download everything they record onto the computer that has the Livescribe application installed. The computer will store images of their notes and will create backup copies of the audio files.
As I passed the pen and its special notebook around the room, we discussed the potential:
- Students with learning disabilities could compensate for poor note-taking skills, because they could re-do notes later. They could either listen to the recording and fill in gaps, or they could import the recording into voice-recognition software and convert an entire lecture into text. They could then manipulate the text, highlighting, underlining, adding text boxes -- whatever helps them learn best.
- Students learning English as a second language could do the same, recording a lesson and playing it back later. The recordings could help them with pronunciation, as well.
- Students with ADHD would have additional support when it's hard for them to concentrate. (I have to admit, I've used it myself at meetings I expected would, um, fail to hold my complete attention. The information was downloadable when I was ready for it.)
- It supports visual learners by storing notes as searchable images. It supports auditory learners by storing what they heard, so they can listen to it again. And it supports kinesthetic learners who like to sketch by saving their sketches in the auditory context that produced them. It also allows users to create "bookmarks" to return them to specific sections of text.
I had the teachers' attention. In fact, I noticed that the pen moved around the room much more slowly as teachers tried it out.
I've used the Smartpen a lot myself. The sound quality is surprisingly good, even when used in a classroom, and the pen reads both my printing and my cursive handwriting well. Once the files have been downloaded onto a computer, my notes are searchable. The pen comes with ear buds, making playback possible even in a noisy environment.
Smartpen users can now focus on listening to the minilesson or participating in the brainstorming, knowing they can jot down a word or two now and then and still have all the information later. Notetaking can now be as simple as writing down keywords and then listening to the audio files later. Students can be more engaged in thinking, less engaged in writing things down. That sounds good to me.
The Pulse Smartpen costs about the same as the Flip camcorder, $150-200. It comes with a special notebook that works with the built-in camera, microphone, and speakers. The notebook also has a helpful manual bound into the front to help the user remember which guide controls which function.
Fellow teacher-blogger Tara Seale explained in more detail how to use the pen and even created a clever pencast as an introduction.
The Smartpen is technology integration that's easy to learn and reasonably priced. It doesn't require extra wiring or filters. It looks like something we know -- a pen -- and acts like something we are learning -- digital media. And it's ready for our classrooms right now.