Last spring I was asked by my Dean to write a grant for technology for a new project that was happening on my campus.   The Arithmetic course was being transformed from a traditional lecture class to a series of hands-on workshops with the hopes of including innovative technology designed to help motivate the students, keep them engaged and give the instructors immediate feedback to student comprehension during the workshops.  

Since the Dean knew I was already teaching with quite a bit of amazing technology, she asked me to write the grant and get the technology in the hands of those who would be teaching the new workshops.

The first thing I had the Dean order, even before I had a chance to write the grant, was a set of Livescribe smartpens for the instructors to learn to use during the summer.   The idea was to create several arithmetic examples for each workshop that students could access outside of class, to reinforce what they learned in the workshop.   The teachers that were part of building the workshops eagerly started creating their first pencasts [interactive Flash movies of the notes and audio recordings]!

In the grant I asked for an eInstruction Dualboard for each of the two brand new classrooms that were being built as part of new Math Foundations Center.   I asked for a set of 5 Mobis for each classroom, a set of CPS Pulse Clickers for each class, and also a Lumens HD265 document camera for each classroom to use.

Luckily for us, and the students, the grant was funded and the technology arrived late in the summer.   The instructors will spend this semester learning to use the technology and getting used to the new environment before the workshops go live in the spring.

Students will no longer have to take the entire Arithmetic course.  Instead, their placement test data will be used to determine which workshops the students will need to participate in (and show they mastered the content) before they are ready to start the first Algebra course.

The students have access to a website that houses all the student workshop Livescribe pencasts, Flash slides, and student handouts, in hopes that the extra "help" available to them outside of the workshop will help reinforce the concepts taught during the workshop.  The pencasts are interactive visual and audio overviews of the math concepts presented in each workshop, and the Flash slides are interactive as well, but visual with no audio. 

The materials on the following website were created by the Math Foundations team at Mesa Community College.

The website can be viewed at:  Math Foundations Workshops

Graphing from Tablesbrought to you by Livescribe

Not only does Echo feature a sleek, ergonomic design, rubberized grip and standard headphone and USB jacks, several software enhancements were also launched with Echo. Software updates are available for both Pulse and Echo customers and include:

• Launch Line: a new way to access and launch applications in seconds
• Password protection: ensures recorded audio on your smartpen remains private and safe
• Custom smartpen name: name your smartpen (or include contact information) so that when turned on identifying the owner of a smartpen is easy
• Custom notebooks: group and organize notes quickly and easily (similar to creating a playlist in iTunes)
• Pencast import/export: save and share pencast files locally to your desktop or a server. Notes can be sent to others as an integrated audio/notes as an attachment. Anyone with the Livescribe Desktop software (free download online) can now open, view and interact with a native Livescribe file
• Pencast Player from Livescribe on Apple iPad, iPhone and iTouch: enables users to access pencasts anywhere they go with a simple touch (free from the iTunes store later this summer)

With the launch of Echo, we are also previewing new communication and collaboration applications that will be available this fall. Connect software allows users to send notes, audio and Pencast PDFs directly from paper to email addresses, online sites and other popular third-party consumer, education and business applications. Livescribe is also introducing collaboration software, Paper Tablet, that lets consumers communicate in real-time, directly from a Livescribe notebook to a Mac or PC using an Echo smartpen and a standard micro-USB cable.

Interested in using Echo in your classroom or district? Education pricing and special components (not available at retail) are available through the dedicated education sales team– to learn more, please contact us at educationsales@livescribe.com or 510-553-4948 for more information.

Also, a big thank you to everyone who attended our breakfast at The Curtis Hotel. In case you missed it, Livescribe CEO and founder Jim Marggraff started off the presentation with a brief demo of the Pulse smartpen. He welcomed Sue Glascoe (community college math instructor, Livescribe customer and avid pencaster) on stage to show how she is using the Pulse smartpen in her classroom. (Click here to see an example and here to read her blog post about ISTE.) Holly De Leon and Andy Van Shaack were also on stage, outlining Pulse’s national adoption in education – 12,000 units in schools so far – and some of the efficacy study work we’re doing. A thought provoking Q&A with Jim concluded the session thanks to some great questions from current and future customers. It seems everyone wants to know what’s coming next!
 
We LOVE hearing how you’re using the Pulse smartpen in your classrooms. Post your Pulse smartpen stories here (as a comment) or on our Facebook page. For now, we’ll leave you with a video of James Gates telling us how the Pulse smartpen is making a difference in math and how it differs from other educational solutions. Notably, he talks about how Pulse allows you to record a lesson once but teach it again and again.

Livescribe Pulse Smartpen Customer Testimonial – James Gates @ ISTE 2010

Livescribe Pulse Smartpen Customer Testimonial – Jessica Aubry @ ISTE 2010 (Part 1)

Livescribe Pulse Smartpen Customer Testimonial – Jessica Aubry @ ISTE 2010 (Part 2)

For information on how to register, please email us directly at lparker@livescribe.com.

How to embed Livescribe pencasts in PBWorks wiki pages

Method 1: How to embed a pencast with its normal (small) dimensions.  Example

1. Find the pencast you want on Livescribe.
2. Click the "Embed this file" button.
3. Select and copy the embed code to your clipboard.  Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl-C on Windows or Command-C on a Mac.
4. In PBWorks – Click the PBWorks Insert Plugin – PBWorks Magic – HTML/JavaScript tool.
   • Paste the resulting embed code into the HTML/JavaScript plugin, click Preview, and press OK.
5. Voila! When you click Save in PBWorks you should now see the pencast and right above it have a link to the pencast on Livescribe’s site.

Method 2:  How to embed a pencast with small, medium, or large dimensions.   Example

1. Find the pencast you want on LiveScribe.
2. Click the "Get a link to this file" button.
3. Select and copy the link to your clipboard.  Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl-C on Windows or Command-C on a Mac.
4. Refer to the post "How to Embed Larger Pencasts" and use James Socol’s Pencast Embed tool to generate the needed embed code.
5. In PBWorks – Click the PBWorks Insert Plugin – PBWorks Magic – HTML/JavaScript tool.
6. Voila! When you click Save in PBWorks you should now see the pencast and right above it have a link to the pencast on Livescribe’s site.

How to embed Livescribe pencasts in Wikispaces wiki pages

Method 1: How to embed a pencast with its normal (small) dimensions.  Example

1. Find the pencast you want on Livescribe.
2. Click the "Embed this file" button.
3. Select and copy the embed code to your clipboard.  Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl-C on Windows or Command-C on a Mac.
4. Navigate to the desired Wikispaces page.
5. Click Edit this Page, click the Widget button, and then click the Other HTML button.
6. Paste the embed code on the clipboard into the HTML box and then click Preview (and then Close Preview) and/or Save.  
7. Optional: Click on the widget and change its alignment.
8. Click Save. 
9. You should now see the pencast and right above it also see a clickable link to the pencast on Livescribe’s site.

Method 2:  How to embed a pencast with small, medium, or large dimensions.   Example

1. Find the pencast you want on Livescribe.
2. Click the "Get a link to this file" button.
3. Select and copy the link to your clipboard.  Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl-C on Windows or Command-C on a Mac.
4. Refer to the post "How to Embed Larger Pencasts" and use James Socol’s Pencast Embed tool to generate the needed embed code.
5. Navigate to the desired Wikispaces page.
6. Click Edit this Page, click the Widget button, and then click the Other HTML button.
7. Paste the embed code on the clipboard into the HTML box, then click Preview (and then Close Preview) and/or click the Save button.  
8. Optional: Click on the widget and change its alignment.
9. Click Save. 
10. You should now see the pencast and right above it also see a clickable link to the pencast on Livescribe’s site.

Please leave a comment if this helps you or if you have any suggestions about how to improve on these directions.  Thanks!  — Tim F

According to AEP, the Golden Lamp is the gold standard for educational products. Only four Golden Lamps are awarded each year – one for Curriculum, one for Periodicals, one for Professional Development, and one for Technology & New Media. The 2010 Golden Lamp was presented to Livescribe in the Technology & New Media category.

The Distinguished Achievement Awards (DAAs) recognize the year’s top educational products in the same four categories (Curriculum, Periodicals, Professional Development, and Technology & New Media), but are judged only against products in their entry category, subcategory and grade level. Livescribe was recognized as the 2010 DAA winner in the Technology & New Media, Administrative Tools category.

Livescribe was selected as a winner by a two-tiered judging process made up of highly qualified industry experts. Winners were announced at an awards banquet on Tuesday during AEP’s Annual Content in Context Conference (CIC) at the Capital Hilton in Washington D.C.

Check out the Golden Lamp Award Announcement on YouTube.