Hampton Teacher Makes Livescribe Pencasts Work For Him...How About You?

I had a wonderful conversation today with Hampton Jr./Sr. High School teacher, Jeremy Sharp, at the Nebraska Association for the Gifted (NAG) Conference in LaVista, NE.  Jeremy has been using the pen on a regular basis this year in his 7th grade math classes, using it to write his notes and then uploading his pencasts to his 7th grade math blog and his 8th grade math blog. 

Jeremy is a traveling teacher, and his Mac computer, projector, and Livescribe Pulse smartpen fill up his cart and become his traveling "toolbox."  Jeremy has avoided the cost of using a document camera by placing his computer on a stand so that it is perched above his notebook and implementing the iChat application on his Mac to capture what he is writing for his students in the classroom. After class, these notes are then uploaded to Livescribe Online and posted as pencasts for his students to take advantage of online at home if necessary.

More importantly, on a small budget, he is providing out-of-class tutorials for all his students - including kids who are absent - with an easy-to-learn piece of equipment that costs less than $200.

You can check out Jeremy's pencasts on his math blogs below:

• 7th grade math blog
• 8th grade math blog

Pencasts are an obvious use of the smartpen that lend themselves well to areas where problems are worked (math, chemistry, physics) or where diagrams are created (industrial arts, art).  However, think outside the box a little and generate some ideas about how you could use pencasts in your classroom.

Not sure that notes are getting home with a particular students? Email a pencast to his parents so that you know they are receiving your written communications.

Are you students corresponding with pen pals? Save the money on postage by creating pen casts that you can share digitally.  In addition, students are limited to just sharing writing or email text.  They can share audio and their own personal drawings!

Tired of writing out sub notes and waiting until they get there in the morning to see if they are understood? Create a pencast of your sub notes and email them to look over beforehand (if it is a planned absence, of course - this might not always be possible).

Is a parent having troubles helping their student?  Send them a pencast via email that shares ideas and describes how to implement them.

And, since I'm at a gifted conference and have been reading my book on visual spatial learners (trying to figure out how to assist my own son!)...

Let your visual spatial learners use the pen to make notes in drawings and diagrams, which you in turn upload to a pencast.  Post it in a pencast and you might just find out that it assists many of the kids in your classroom that you didn't even know were visual spatial to remembers things that were taught in an auditory fashion!  At the same time, you are giving that visual spatial learner the freedom to take notes in the way that he learns and remembers best.


What other ideas can you generate for using pencasts in your classroom?

February 2010 Issue of Enlighten Now Online

Check out these articles and more in our February 2010 issue of our monthly newsletter, Enlighten...

• eInstruction M1 Software Release Coming Soon
• Livescribe Making Waves
• Teacher and Students Honored at Burwell Winner Party
• Project-Based Learning with the Livescribe Pulse Pen
• Assessment Strategies for Today and Tomorrow
• Earn or Borrow Free Equipment From eInstruction
• Adobe and Mobi...A Match Made in Heaven
• Using CPS With PowerSchool

Click here to browse back issues and sign up to receive Enlighten in your inbox every month.

Video Overview of New Livescribe Pen Capabilities

With the launch of the Livescribe Application Store beta, you can now download free and paid applications on your Pulse Smartpen. For our users who want to quickly find and launch their applications on their smartpen, there are a couple new shortcuts in version 2.1.1 you should know about:

• Flicking is basically a swiping motion with the tip of your smartpen. Quickly drag and lift the tip of your smartpen, and watch your menu items and apps quickly scroll on the display.

• Scrubbing is like drawing a solid line. Draw a line from top to bottom (or left to right). Without lifting the tip of your smartpen, retrace your line and see your menu items and apps scroll up or down in the same direction/speed as your smartpen.

• Quick Launch allows you to jump to an application, and quickly launch it.

Check out these new capabiilities in this video by our friend, Tim Fahlberg...Video Overview of New Pen Capabilities

Become An eI National Certified Instructor!

eInstruction is looking for a select group of teachers who are interested in becoming an eI National Certified Instructor. This is a great opportunity for talented educators to share their expertise with other educators around the country and acquire FREE eInstruction technology for your very own school! 

Description:
eInstruction National Certified Instructors are full-time middle or high school educators who have demonstrated expertise in 4 areas: pedagogical knowledge, content knowledge, presentation skills, and the effective use of eInstruction technology. Once certified, these instructors will deliver eInstruction professional development to educators throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Benefits:
• Share best practices with other educators and inspire students through innovative use of eInstruction products
• Ongoing free professional development, product evaluation, and leadership opportunities
• Free eInstruction technology for your classroom
• Compensation for delivering eInstruction professional development
• Engage and network with educators and school districts across the U.S. and Canada
• Attend a 3-day professional development workshop and access to frequent learning opportunities

Interested? Please contact program director Mike Aubin at 410.312.9259 or mike.aubin@einstruction.com for more information and an application.  You may also download a printable PDF here.

Winner Party at Burwell Elementary Was a Blast!

A good time was had by all at the Burwell Elementary Winner Party for the eI Technology Makeover Contest on January 25th. You can check out details in our February newsletter that will be going out this month!

If you aren't subscribed to our monthly newsletter to get a monthly update of the things happening with eInstruction, Livescribe, and Engaging Technologies, make sure and get signed up here!