Livescribe Smartpen

Introduction: 

I remember when I was younger, my older brother won a national handwriting contest. The prize you ask? An elegant, hand-crafted pen and letter-opener set worth $50. I remember thinking that a pen was a LAME prize. Well in the 16 years since my brother has been out of the 6th grade pens have come a long...long....long way. 

One month ago I became an Education Ambassador for the Livescribe community. The mission of the Livescribe Educator Ambassador Program (LEAP) is to share with other educators the innovative ideas and accommodations that a Smartpen can provide to the classroom. The program consists of 4,000 teachers nation-wide. Each teacher was given a refurbished Smartpen, a one-subject notebook of "Dot-Paper," and an online subscription to a 101 Course for the Smartpen. While at first I was excited to have a new "toy" in the classroom for my students, it didn't take long to realize how this new form of technology could benefit many different populations of students. I bet you are wondering, "But Jenna, What IS a Smartpen in the first place?" A Smartpen allows the user, when writing on special "Dot Paper" ($7.95 for a 3-subject notebook)  to record his/her voice as well as write notes, record thoughts, hear a play back of the teacher or professor speaking, and so much more. Features of the pen include: 

• A microphone
• Built in speaker that allows automatic play-back of notes/lectures
• Replaceable ink-tip

While these pens sound great you HAVE to see them in action to gain the full effect. I don't know why this form of technology has been kept quiet, but these pens are a must for any classroom (especially in math where there are many step-by-step processes). While previously they seemed very pricy (especially on a teacher's budget) a refurbished Smartpen available at the Livescribe Homepage goes for $49.95 and a new 2GB is priced reasonable at $99.95. 

This year our special education staff is stretched to their limits because of reduced funding and "balancing" the need for staff across the district. This has left many students in an inclusion setting with one teacher to provide modifications. As a second year teacher I have struggled to provide one-on-one support for these individuals while maintaining classroom management and continuing to push my "high-flyers." The Smartpen has allowed me to differentiate, become more hands-on in the classroom, and allowed me freedom to create "Writing Think-Alouds" and "Reading Think-Alouds" which has made previously abstract writing and reading practice concrete and tangible for all students.

Classroom Applications: 

• Pencasting Writing Think-Alouds: Thinking aloud is a research-based approach to education in which a "master" (usually a teacher) engages students in an apprenticeship. The master reader/writer/historian/ scientist/mathematician vocalizes the thought process and explains the process of becoming a master to the novices. While this process is valuable it is also time-consuming, and if you are a newer teacher it can be hard to explain or think through every step along the way. Some things just come naturally and it takes some time and planning to think of just the right word to explain a concept to the impressionable minds in the classroom. If you are like me a Pencast is the way to go. Pencasting allows the user to write down notes or visually show a step-by-step process while also recording vocal cues or notes as well in real time. If you are a tenured teacher you may also find Pencasting handy. If you teach in the secondary realm and are tired of repeating yourself over and over again, record yourself during your first period class and replay the lecture or lesson for the next several classes. This will free up your life to roam the room and pick up miscues that you may have missed if you were stuck at the board writing and directly lecturing. In order to replay your notes in a movie-like format. Download the files from your pen to your desktop and hit the play button. Doesn't get much easier than that. You will notice in my example (at right) that some of the words written are coded green. This means that their is audio attached to that word, phrase, sentence, or even paragraph. These pencasts can easily be emailed, facebooked, or linked to Angel. 
• Classroom Notetaker: Being absent from class is hard enough, but if you miss a lecture or notes, a student feel lost for a week or more. With the Smartpen, teachers can keep everyone on track with the addition of a classroom notetaker. If a student is sick or absent assign a classroom notetaker. Make them comfortable in a special chair in the front. Have the student write notes for the student that is sick. The pen will also record audio so if the notetaker gets a little lazy there is a backup plan in place. Have the student upload the notes to their sick classmates Facebook or shoot them an email with the file as an attachment. When they get back from vacation or their deathbed they will be caught up and ready to move on instead of being left behind. 
• Accommodations Made Easy: An inclusionary setting is best for many students. The social nature of the classroom and peer mentors work wonders in helping students become independent and successful despite their area of improvement or disability. This puts an added stressor on the teacher, especially if there is a lack of support in the room. Many times accommodations for testing include the reading of tests aloud to students. With the help of the Smarpen this accommodation can be easily met. The "Dot Paper" included with the pen is normal (8 1/2 x 11 in.) in size once removed from the binding. This allows the paper to be used in any printer or copier. Once printed, create a system of codes or shapes with the students that signal a vocal cue. Place the shapes on the paper and record your voice reading the directions, answer choices, or clarifying terms. Students only need to tap on the shape once to hear the recording. In a testing situation, students will find it helpful to use the low-key earbuds so that they are the only ones that can hear the vocal reminders or directions. This process allows the student to become completely independent. Independence. The ultimate goal of any student can be achieved with a little help from the Smartpen. 
• What were They THINKING?!: As a teacher you practice, review, and finally it is time for the test, you assume everyone in your class has mastered the material and will perform wonderfully.... BUT you find out that some of your students have bombed the test. WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?! Well, now, we might be able to get a glimpse into the mind of the students. Using the Smartpen have the students perform their own think-aloud while performing steps in math or writing a piece of text. Have them explain their thinking and why they are making the decisions that they did. When you grade the test and discover the miscue, with the Smartpen, tap on the text that they messed up on and you will hear what was going on in their head as they were making that fateful decision. We finally can see inside the student's mind. Then, we can change their thinking for the better through reteaching and relearning opportunities.