Accessible Pen and Paper?
I first heard of Livescribe from an announcement of their upcoming ‘smartpen’ and noted that a former professor, Andy Van Schaack, PhD was involved in the project. A few weeks ago, I was able to attend a presentation from Dr. Van Schaack and learned a little more about the project. I was especially interested in the note on the presentation flyer that said he would “present his current NSF-funded study on the use of the smartpen to support blind college students in science, engineering and math.”
He started off with promotional information about how the Livescribe system is a new computing platform with a great team behind it. By all accounts it appears to be a laudable effort in the arena of comparable smart pen technologies. It works by recording audio while using the pen on special paper. You can then go back to any point in your notes, tap on the page and listen to the corresponding audio. Your notes also become searchable and shareable.
Then he addressed how the project would help make content accessible for students who are blind. Currently, a student who is blind studying in a field that requires the use of graphs or diagrams would need a technology toolkit such as a laptop paired with a not inexpensive tactile talking tablet. The price point lowers significantly as students are able to use the Livescribe pen with the more affordable Sewell raised-line drawing kit. This combination of technology allows the students to draw and annotate a graph with the ability to reference the graphic later and access whatever audio was recorded at the time.
Additional Resources
- Livescribe site
- Smartpen aids blind engineering students
- New Smartpen and Paper to Help Teach Blind College Students
- NSF Grant Information- Award Abstract #0726403 and Award Abstract #0726424
- LiveScribe Smartpen Demo With Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher
- Additional Tactile Graphics Resources
- NCDAE Webcast on Electronic Accessibility in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
(Update) Andy sent me a couple of additional links to share:
