Earlier this year, the Pulse smartpen from Livescribe caught me by surprise. What I thought would be yet another cheesy gadget trying to cash in on parents who’ll buy their kids any learning-oriented gadget actually turned out to be a great way to capture ideas and store them for posterity digitally. I’m now more apt to carry my Pulse pen to a meeting (along with my phone or iPad for web access) than a laptop.
Yesterday, Livescribe announced the Pulse’s successor, the Echo. On the surface, it’s sleeker, has more storage space, and removes the need for a dock (a USB cable now plugs directly between the pen and your computer). It’s available now for $169 (4 GB) or $199 (8 GB). With this new hardware available, the Pulse has been discounted–you can now get a 2 GB Pulse for $129 (all prices from the Livescribe Store–they’re also available at other retailers).
Even better are some new features promised for the fall. According to the press release, the Echo will be able to communicate directly with your computer when you connect the USB cable–in other words, you’ll be able to instantly capture your notes and drawings and display them on your computer screen, live, without having to sync your notebook first. This could be a major boon for anyone doing live instruction via webcasting or screen sharing tools. It also sounds like you’ll be able to use the Echo pen like a pen tablet in design software like Photoshop and Illustrator.
Finally, Livescribe announced the forthcoming release of Pencast Player, an app for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch to allow people to play back Pencasts (kind of like podcasts or screencasts, but created by recording audio while writing using the pen’s record and playback feature)–in other words, you’ll be able to quickly create voice-annotated, visual presentations, post them online, and provide access to anyone with the Pencast Player software (I’m hoping you’ll also be able to export as a video file). This could be huge for anyone using Content Enhancement; I can also see some pretty cool student projects coming out of this technology.
By the time you read this I’ll be in the Pacific Northwest; specifically in my old stomping grounds of Seattle, Washington. I left because of the gray, rainy winters–but after a few weeks of snow and bitter cold in Kansas I’m ready for a respite.
On Tuesday, I shared information about a new, comprehensive guide to Facebook from Mashable, one of our favorite tech blogs. If you use Facebook in any capacity–from keeping up with friends to managing your personal learning network to promoting a business or cause–I highly recommend checking it out.
On Wednesday, Amber provided some links to follow during CES, the world’s largest annual consumer electronics show. Watch for her wrap-up post later this week.
We closed on the week on Friday with a discussion of five desktop conferencing options to help you meet and collaborate over a distance. If you’re as sick as I am of digging through snow and ice just to get to a meeting, you’ll want to check this one out.
Along the way we posted lots of great links about new products from CES, the new Google phone, updates to Facebook, and more. Check them out and have a great week!
In the last few years, gaming systems like the Nintendo DS and Nintendo Wii have changed how we play games. Buttons and direction pads still rule, but new games might require us to stand up and move around, or use a pen-like controller to write or manipulate objects. Tablet PCs are also becoming more commonplace; again using pens as input devices. Software developers are using these systems and inputs to create new ways of interacting with computers–and potentially opening up new learning opportunities for gamers.
For example, take a look at Scribblenauts, a new game for the Nintendo DS handheld gaming system:
It’s cute, but there are also some compelling opportunities for vocabulary building, spelling, and especially problem solving embedded in the game. I’ve owned this game for a week and, while not everything I type in helps me solve the puzzle at hand, I’ve only found one word the software didn’t know at all (“slab”). You can also create your own levels for others to solve.
A more concrete example, perhaps, is Crayon Physics. Where Scribblenauts requires some creative thinking and vocabulary usage to solve problems, Crayon Physics uses real-world physics. Check it out:
Crayon Physics not so much a game, but the open-ended problem solving element is still there. There may be more than one right answer, and getting to that answer may involve more than memorization and quick fingers. Do you think “games” (for lack of a better term) like these have a place in the classroom? Do you use games now as part of instruction? Please share your thoughts with us.
Nintendo is working to use its popular DS series of handheld gaming devices as interactive classroom response units. Think of these as the “clickers” many schools now have to solicit real-time response from students, with additional functionality to also receive direct feedback and visual aids from the teacher. The devices may also be used for testing, with immediate scoring and feedback to the student possible. Each device communicates with the teacher’s PC using WiFi. This product will debut next year in Japan and will include 60 programs covering a variety of subjects across elementary, middle school, and high school.
Concerns about cost, cheating, and staying on-task aside, I think this is a compelling idea. Using consumer-oriented devices like the Nintendo DS, iPod, and others in classrooms allow kids to use devices they likely already have used in the past (many will already own a device) and are generally capable of much more than devices strictly geared for the classroom.
Macworld.com has a list of useful things you can do with a camera phone (or digital camera) besides, you know, taking keepsake photos. I do this sort of thing myself, such as snapping quick photos of a whiteboard full of notes at the end of a meeting. Do you have any clever uses for your digital camera (or any other gadgets)? Share them in the comments below.
Did you score a new computer, MP3 player, smart phone, or HDTV this holiday season? Before you toss the old one in the trash, keep in mind that most electronic devices contain toxins that shouldn’t wind up in landfills. Some communities even ban such devices from being tossed out improperly. Planet Green has provided a list of recycling options for electronics .
Nintendo is working to use its popular DS series of handheld gaming devices as interactive classroom response units. Think of these as the “clickers” many schools now have to solicit real-time response from students, with additional functionality to also receive direct feedback and visual aids from the teacher. The devices may also be used for testing, with immediate scoring and feedback to the student possible. Each device communicates with the teacher’s PC using WiFi. This product will debut next year in Japan and will include 60 programs covering a variety of subjects across elementary, middle school, and high school.
Did you score a new computer, MP3 player, smart phone, or HDTV this holiday season? Before you toss the old one in the trash, keep in mind that most electronic devices contain toxins that shouldn’t wind up in landfills. Some communities even ban such devices from being tossed out improperly. Planet Green has provided a 
