MyScript Calculator- All Hands on Deck!

It is really exciting to see the innovation that is happening in the iPad space especially in the area of math, which has taken a back seat to apps in the areas of reading and writing. I came across the MyScript Calculator the other day and have been playing around with it on my iPad. MyScript Calculator is free and can be downloaded from the App Store. It is really phenomenal-simply open the app and write your mathematical expression with your finger or stylus and it automatically solves it for you. Even with my handwriting I was able to write the square root sign and the number 81 and within seconds it returned the value 9. The handwriting recognition is really fantastic and MyScript should be congratulated for their handwriting recognition engine which has become a standard in the industry. MyScript Calculator can be used to setup very sophisticated computations which would be ideal of high school students. Check it out and you will see that you will be able to put away your standard calculator on your iPad for good. MyScript Calculator is available for free from the Apple App Store. Download it and give it a try you will be glad you did.

MyScript Studio Notes Edition- Adding Vocabulary

I have been utilizing my Boogie Board RIP daily for recording notes and have found using MyScript Studio Notes Edition to be ideal for doing the hand writing conversion. One of the powerful features in MyScript Studio Notes Edition is the ability to add new words to its core dictionary so that when it encounters the unique word it knows how to convert it. In the screencast below, you will see how I was able to enter the word Nearpod, which is a great app for the iPad and how MyScript Studio Notes Edition then handled the text conversion. Using the add Vocabulary feature is a great way to teach MyScript Studio Notes Edition how to convert unfamiliar handwritten words that it encounters.

Boogie Board RIP Adds Evernote Integration

Since the ISTE 2012 Conference, I have be experimenting with the Boogie Board RIP and how it could be used by students in the classroom for taking notes. I was excited to learn that last week Improv Electronics released the Virtual Desktop Companion 2 software that now includes Evernote integration and handwriting recognition support using MyScript Studio Notes Edition software. Now it is possible for students who are using the Boogie Board RIP to take notes and save them to their Evernote account. I have put together a short screencast demonstrating just how easy it is to send your notes to your Evernote account. The Boogie Board RIP can store 200 pages of notes which at any time can be moved to your Evernote account giving you complete freedom to store and file them. Look for another screencast coming soon, demonstrating the handwriting recognition software that will allow you to go from a handwritten note directly into Microsoft Word.








Screencast created using Camtasia Studio 8

Have You Flipped? Your Classroom That Is

There was a lot of buzz at ISTE 2012 with regards to  the "flipped classroom" and how it can be implemented in the classroom. Many educators who were talking about the change in how instruction is being delivered were excited by what they see happening in their classrooms. For those of you who may not be familiar with the term "flipped classroom" -it is when the instruction takes place outside the classroom thereby giving teachers ample time to differentiate instruction and have students apply their skills during classroom time. Many teachers who have moved to the "flipped classroom" model are creating short instructional videos in a number of creative ways using a host of different hardware and software solutions.

While at ISTE 2012, I had the opportunity to meet with Shane Lovellette, Product Manager for Camtasia Studio 8 who walked me through some of the new features that is found in their recent release of Camtasia Studio 8. Camtasia Studio is one of the leading screencasting applications in the marketplace and provides teachers with a rich set of tools to create instructional videos that can be played back on all platforms. Camtasia Studio 8 was rewritten from the ground up to take advantage of multiple platform play back and now with the new Quizzing feature it is a great way for teachers to assess students as they are watching the videos. All of the results of the quizzes are automatically linked to your Screencast account ensuring that responses are accurately reported and available to you in a user friendly format. Having access to Camtasia Studio 8 and a Wacom tablet will give you the tools you need to create instructional videos that your students will be engaged and able to learn from. Techsmith has created a great resources for educators looking to learn more about the flipped classroom.

There are certainly lots of way for teachers to create videos for the flipped classroom and another one of my favorite ways to do this is with the Livescribe Smartpen. Using the Livescribe Echo Smartpen teachers can simply record their instructional videos by writing in a Livescribe notebook as they are talking through the steps of the problem or lesson. The Livescribe Smartpen will automatically synchronize the audio and ink and allow students to watch the video as if they were sitting next to their teacher. The process of creating the pencast is straight forward and easily accomplished. Pencasts can be viewed on multiple platforms and be shared to iOS devices to be played back. The Livescribe Smartpens are certainly a great way to create content for the flipped classroom. For more information about how to get started with Pencasts please take a look at a post I did last year. Pencasts are also easy to embed into websites, wikis, and learning management systems (LMS) giving student access to the material whatever platform they are on.

While at ISTE 2012 I had a chance to stop by Improv Electronics, the developers of the Boogie Board and Boogie Board RIP. I have always found the Boogie Boards to be a very enticing and engaging tool for writing, drawing and doodling. Using the Boogie Board RIP and the Companion Desktop software along with Camtasia Studio, Jing or Screenr, teachers could create on the fly videos for their flipped classroom in no time. Here is an example of how to create a video using the Boogie Board RIP and the Companion desktop software. At the show, Improv Electronics announced that they would soon release new companion software the would allow your stored files on the Boogie Board RIP to be saved to your Evernote account. This is a huge feature and one that will certainly have educators looking at the Boogie Board RIP more closely once it is released. Evernote has become an integral piece of the educational marketplace with more and more schools and students using it to save notes, images and audio. The integration of the Boogie Board RIP and Evernote will certainly make this an enticing offer and one that I'm sure teachers will look at as a way to move notes to a digital platform in an inexpensive and convenient package. Improv Electronics also announced the availability of the MyScript plug-in this fall that will allow for hand writing recognition of notes recorded on the Boogie Board RIP. 

For teachers who have an iPhone or iPod Touch (4th generation) you may want to take a look at the Swivl a truly innovative way to record video without the need for a camera person. the Swivl is a small motorized turret that can follow you as you move around the classroom simply by holding the marker that ships with the product. The Swivl gives you the freedom to create videos on the fly that can be started and stopped from the marker Additionally, the marker serves as  a high quality digital recorder that guarantees no matter where you are in relationship to your iPhone or iPod you will deliver high quality audio to the device. Using the Swivl is really a breeze to learn. For more about the Swivl you can read a review that I recently posted. The Swivl is an easy and effortless way to capture high quality video in the classroom and gives you the freedom to move around. Using the Swivl would be another great way to create content for the flipped classroom.


ISTE 2012 was filled with great tools to allow teachers to quickly create content for their flipped classroom. Depending on your level of expertise there are entry and advanced tools for you to access to let you begin to experiment with the flipped classroom methodology. To learn more the flipped classroom you may want to take a look at this book which was recently published: Flip Your Classroom: Reach Every Student in Your Classroom Everyday. If you have any questions about how to create material using these tools for your flipped classroom please feel free to contact me via email. If you are looking for a workshop on content creation for the flipped classroom, please feel free to contact me. I am available for workshops and teacher training on these tools.

Guess What, My New Word Processor is a Pen

As much as I enjoy using my laptop and iPad for all kinds of different tasks, I for one still feel that it is easier for me to take notes with pen and paper. I can write much faster than I can type and at least from my perspective there is less of a cognitive load for me when using pen and paper. Over the years I have used digital pen and paper for a full range of tasks, but as of late, I find that I am using my Echo Smartpen more and more in all those places that I need to record the minutes of meetings. Oftentimes I am only recording the digtial ink and am not relying on the audio recording of the session. Using the Echo Smartpen and MyScript for Livescribe, I am quickly able to capture my notes and use handwriting recognition to send the text to Microsoft Word. From my perspective MyScript for Livescribe is an essential part of the solution allowing me to quickly go from hand written notes to editable text. Just yesterday I was sitting in several departmental meetings at the college and I was quickly able to go from my notes to Word in a click of the mouse. Within seconds I had the text in the Word document and was sharing my notes with my colleagues. So the next time you think you need to use you laptop to take notes you may want to consider using the Echo Smartpen! If you have never used MyScript for Livescribe you can download a trial version of Myscript and give it a try. MyScript for Livescribe works on both Windows and Macintosh.

MyScript for Livescribe Plug-in

When I demonstrate the Livescribe Smartpens as part of my assistive technology presentations, the first question I usually get is: "Can I convert my handwritten notes into editable text"? And I answer, "Yes, you can!" In this screencast I will share with you how you can use MyScript for Livescribe from VisionObjets to do the conversion. In order to do the handwriting recognition you will need to install and purchase MyScript for Livescribe. Once you download your handwriting from your digital pen to the Livescribe Desktop software you can then Right click on the page and share the contents with the application MyScript for Livescribe. Watch the video to see just how easy it is to go from handwriting to editable text.

Vision Objects Releases MyScript for Livescribe Macintosh Version

I have blogged about my experience with the Livescribe Pulse Smartpen since its release and glad to share with you that Vision Objects has released MyScript for Macintosh. MyScript will now give Macintosh Users the ability to convert their handwriting to text for easy editing and formatting. I have used MyScript for Windows with my Livescrobe Pulse Smartpen and found it to work well, even with my handwriting (lets not go there :-).

MyScript for Livescribe is an application that converts your handwritten notes to digital text:

	Send your handwritten notes directly from Livescribe Desktop to MyScript for Livescribe for conversion to text.
	Use your personal dictionary to add names, terms and abbreviations for even more accurate conversion.
	Convert handwriting, shapes, drawings and tables into print.
	Edit the resulting digital text directly in My Script for Livescribe application.
	Edited results can be sent to Microsoft Word or another word processor, to a text file, to your default email application or saved as a picture file.

Livescribe Pulse Smartpen adds Handwriting Recognition

I have been using digital pen technology for a long time now but nothing has excited me more for the potential for this technology than the Livescribe Pulse Smartpen. I have been writing about my experiences using the Pulse Smartpen on my blog since its release and it continues to amaze me what is possible. I knew that it was only a matter of time before the Livescribe Pulse Smartpen would add handwriting recognition and I am happy to report that Livescribe announced yesterday the release of MyScript for Livescribe 1.0 from VisionObjects- which adds this significant feature. For those of you who would like to try MyScript for Livescribe 1.0 you will have to upgrade your Livescribe Desktop to Version 1.4 from the Livescribe website. Once you have made the upgrade you can download the trial version of MyScript for Livescribe 1.0, which will automatically install the MyScript icon into the tool bar of your Livescribe Desktop software. MyScript for Livescribe 1.0 is an independent application that once engaged from the Livescribe Desktop software will launch. I should note that the MyScript for Livescribe software application is $29.95 and can be purchased from the VisionObjects website.

So how does it work you say? I updated my Livescribe Desktop to version 1.4 and installed the4 trial version of MyScript for Livescribe 1.0 without a hitch. Once installed there now appeared a new icon on my Livescribe Desktop toolbar. I opened a page of some notes I had just recently taken at a conference and clicked on the MyScript icon which automatically launched the MyScript for Livescribe 1.0 application. Once launched you see a two page view of your handwritten notes on the left hand side of the page and by simply clicking on the conversion icon you text is recognized and appears on the right hand side of the page. You can go into the MyScript Preferences and select from three different handwriting modes, Hand Print, Capital Letters, and Natural Handwriting to help the recognition engine along. One more click on the Word icon, and your text transfers to a Word document-pretty neat! Once in Word the text is fully editable and ready to be reformatted. I should note that handwriting recognition has come a long way but it is not perfect. From my perusal of the Word document I would have to say that I was really impressed with the conversion process- with a little spell checking and some formatting my notes are now editable in Word. Having handwriting recognition is a significant feature and one that will allow students and teachers to use this technology to move their notes into Word with the ability to modify and make whatever accommodations that are needed. This is wonderful assistive technology tool and one that keeps getting better and better. This is a great gift for the holiday season.