Teaching and learning with technology....Livescribe


The Livescribe Pen
I became an Ambassador this year for Livescribe.  They sent me a pen to use and to assess how it can impact learning.

I am fascinated by this pen.  You write in special notebooks, and then can upload the files to your computer, or to applications like Evernote (a favorite of mine).  Additionally they have software that can covert your handwriting to text.  This of course is dependent on the neatness of your handwriting.

Storage and organization
My first usage is for my current grad school course.  I began the course typing my notes, but saw this as a great opportunity to put the pen to the test.  I do love traditional note taking in a notebook, but love to have access to my notes on my computer.  The Livescribe is a serious solution for this.  I love that I can store and organize my notes, with papers I have typed for the class, and any other digital resources.

The distractability of technology
Additionally, taking notes with the pen is less distracting than using my computer.  While typing on my computer, I can get distracted with my email, Twitter, Facebook, or any of several other applications.  With the pen, I have it and my notebook, but still will eventually get digital notes.  This could be very key for students.  How easily they can be off task in the middle of class, especially those prone to distractability. There is little on the pen to play with.

Audio
I have yet to try the audio component of it.  You can record what is being said while you write it.  They when reviewing your notes, you can touch on the spot you were writing, and play back was was being said as you wrote it.  I think of this as a great tool to address executive functioning and memory difficulties.  I have two students I tutor who could benefit greatly from this.  They are in public schools, and often miss things said in class because they are busy trying to write things down.  This would enable them to record things, and then we could review them later to ensure they received and noted all the information needed. 

I look forward to exploring more opportunities with the pen at work as a teacher, and as a student myself.