Live Scribe Pen
By Tom Sciortino
February 2009
The Pen has two primary functions: First, whenever the Pen is on, it records your Pen strokes as you write them. You can later put these on your computer and view them as an image. Second, it can also record audio and associate it with your notes. Audio is time-synched with your notes, so if you later tap on line 6 of your notes, it will playback the audio that corresponds with the notes you wrote on line 6.
The Hardware Experience
First off, the Pen requires special “dot paper.” My theory is that the dot pattern changes minutely depending on where you are on a page and also what page you’re on. Some areas of the page have pre-defined functions such as Record, Stop, Skip, etc… The Pen knows to perform these functions when you tap that area of the page. Most of the page is a blank slate, waiting to be associated with notes written on it.
The Pen requires this special paper to do anything, so you’d have to have a supply of these specially printed notebooks. The note books are 100 pages, which I’d say is plenty for any single class, perhaps even a year-long class. They are $19.95 for a 4-pack.
One of the first things I noticed was that it began to get annoying switching between ink cartridge and stylus cartridge (stylus is useless for taking any kind of notes, but Pen leaves ink spots all over your function buttons—not a big deal per page, but there are calculator and other auxiliary functions that would quickly get buried under ink).
There are several "programs" available, too. Among others, the Pen has the ability to create a piano and play it (activated by touching the piano button). There is also the ability to translate words between languages (activated by touching a translate button). I did not test the translate function.
The unit has a gig of flash memory which can record audio as you go, and associates the audio being recorded with where on the page you are. In other words, you can later point to an area of your page where you wrote notes and listen to the audio play back from the time that corresponds to when that note was written.
It is also software upgradable, so more programs (like the piano and translation ability) would be available to install on the Pen. The Pen is also capable of calculator functions, however some of the advanced functions say "free upgrade with advanced features coming soon." Presumably this is uploaded to the Pen from your computer (via the internet). I have not tested this feature either.
There is an included headset, too. The Pen has a built in mic and speaker, but with the headset, you can record and playback in stereo ("3d" they say, but I’ve found that perceptual 3d audio has never really worked that well). It also is less embarrassing than having your pen talk at you during a lecture.
The Software Experience
Interestingly, the Pen does not come with the software. It must be downloaded from livescribe.com. The software asks you to register which lets you share your files with others (presumably easily), "visit other users" (on the web?), download app's and files, and see "Pencasts." The software is Java, nags you to register if you haven’t, and decides to place itself partially off screen by default (go figure.) The software is not very intuitive and feels a little flakey (like many java apps do), but gets the job done. With it, you may upload your notes with accompanying audio, view everything, listen to audio, and update/manage the Pen.
Other Notes
This is at the very least a neat toy, but I could see it being useful to a student as well (though it would have to be the “right kind” of student). It does have a slight learning curve though I think most students would get used to it pretty quickly. Plain paper has always gotten the job done for me, but for non-visual learners, or even those with a learning disability, the additional audio may be very much appreciated.
For professors, I’m having a harder time seeing the use though it may be useful as an archiving tool to make lectures available online to students. If you register (which I have not), there should also be the ability to share files over the web.
This raises some interesting accessibility points, too. Assuming an instructor did archive their notes, this would allow a visually impaired student to listen to the lecture corresponding to the notes over the web. I could also see the Pen being very useful for the DRC note-takers.
The Pen is actually quite useful without the computer software. The main feature of the Pen—the ability to record audio and link it to sections of your notes—is completely useable without a computer.
As a final thought, the Pen may also be hackable. Inside the device, there is a miniature camcorder/scanner, a mic and speaker setup, a gig of flash memory, and a processor with at least some power. Maybe it’s only a matter of time until someone finds some other creative things to do with this device?
MDS is currently working with Cal Poly's Center for Teaching and Learning to evaluate a Mac version currently in beta testing.
Comments from a Cal Poly student:
Used pen for 2 classes and still had plenty of room for storage
Understands that the recent Mac upgrade fixed previous problems; now, I hope I can connect and remove old lectures, to make room for more storage
Found that use of pen decreased my anxiety by allowing me to go back and re-hear lectures
Liked being able to record, listen and watch the notes
Most important feature was the audio recording
I want to use again next quarter
Suggests demo icons on a note card for quick reference
Mic is especially good—picks up everything, no matter where I sit in room
Wondered if transferring pen to another student would cause problem with online benefits
Suggests it is important to sanitize the ear buds—perhaps students can purchase their own headsets
Provided great sound quality