However as with any tool, there are benefits and there are drawbacks.  The question isn’t about if the smartpen is effective, rather it is about you!

The trick is  to step back and analyze the tool’s real value in helping you accomplish your teaching  tasks. If you’re not evaluating the way that you’re using this or any other  technology to get things done, then you may be in danger of  technology overload and become  overwhelmed by the number of tools at your disposal. 

One way to handle is this to really map out the various  online or technology tools that you use in your preparation and teaching and then organize and  rank them in order of importance to you.  

• which tool helps you accomplish the widest variety of tasks on a regular basis.
• which tool is the most effective for what you are doing.
• what is the added value of using one tool over another. 

Prepare a chart that summarizes   your tasks, the tools used and added value of each tool.  Analyzing how you are using the tools in your toolbox will  increase your efficiency!

Below is a collection of links  describing how people are using the smartpen.  I will be updating this post with additional links as I find them!

 Qualitative Researchers

1. Rob Tannen  was interviewed in the Summer 2009 issue of QRCA Views, a magazine for qualitative researchers, on the topic of the Livescribe Pulse Smartpen.    See page 54 of the online version to read the article.

Students

2.  Student bloggers shares his impressions and reasons for using the smartpen

3. Holden Page a student  thinks that he may pay attention in class with a smartpen

4. Smartpen and paper helps blind students

Teachers

5. Professor Michael Welsh  wrote about the smartpen as a digital ethnographology tool.

Talking comic strips are perfect for language learners

  A mix of colorful visuals, speech bubbles and audio content is the perfect combination for language acquisition. You can use the talking comic strips to teach specific grammar points, introduce a new topic, summarize a unit, the sky is the limit. Students will love creating their own talking comic strips as well. The image that you see here in the left is one panel of  a talking comic strip. Click here  or on the picture to see and hear the full size talking comic strip  My talking comic strip provides a general explanation of how it was created using free web 2 tools Glogster/ Toondoo and Audacity a free open source software for recording and editing sounds.   Be sure to turn up your speakers to hear the sound. If you are interested in learning more about how to create cool content using free web 2.0 tools subscribe CoachENG newsletter at the top right hand side of this page. Thanks!  Read more about teaching with comic strips here.

Did you create a comic strip of your own? You are invited to share links to your comic strips in the comments box below! Thanks, Karen Eini

 Livescribe’s Smart Pen is an amazing tool for English teachers and their students. The pen enables teachers to capture authentic English language conversations for language analysis with the learner.  Watch the short movie below to see a lesson with the smart pen in action.  The movie below is best viewed  enlarged ( click play button and then arrow on top  right hand side) and then click to hide the preview which is the bottom squiggly line in the lower right hand corner. The lesson objectives appear below the movie!

05.22.2009 9:08p
brought to you by Livescribe

    In the sample lesson below I worked with a 15 year old Israeli student who studies English in school.

Sample Lesson Language Objective : To give clear and accurate  spoken instructions in order to enable a partner to recreate a drawing

1. I  tore out a page from my smart pen notebook and tore the page  in half.

2. I gave  Roee  half of the paper and invited him to  draw anything he wanted without showing it to me.

3. When Roee was ready, I clicked  the record button on the smart paper and he  proceeded to describe his drawing to me. We were sitting back to back so I could not see Roee’s drawing.

4. I asked Roee questions and his answers guided me in the recreation of the drawing.

5. We then compared the drawings and Roee analyzed the differences in the two.

6. This activity could have been done using a regular pen and paper, however,  having the opportunity to watch the pencast and analyze the language that was ellicted during the activity added value to the lesson.  

I hope you enjoyed this sample lesson.  I am currently developing more  content and ideas for teaching with the pen. If you are interested in joining me in this exciting adventure and would like copies of my worksheets /lesson plans please subscribe to my mailing list at the top of my page, email me  or follow me on twitter.

Comments/Questions/ Feedback are most welcome!