Readingpen

First introduced seven years ago as a translation tool for international executives, about 1 Million pens have been sold in 35 countries. Educators in the United States first experimented with the Readingpen for students with reading disabilities. The success of using the Readingpen in Special Education caused the company to ask the question: Can this proven tool become a valuable tool in K-12 reading instruction?

The company in conjunction with US educational technology experts evaluated the potential for the Readingpen in the US K-12 education market. Initial classroom feedback indicated that the pen could be a timely and simple solution that could do for reading, what calculators had done for math – act as a personal assistant that accelerates a student’s progress.

To realize this potential, the “device” would need to be an educational product that meets the needs of students and teachers:

A simple product that can be used by anyone
Usage models for implementation in the classroom
Lesson plans and activities that address educational goals, and can work with the printed material that is currently used by schools
Pricing that is affordable to both schools and parents

The company looked to the educational community itself to discover what needed to be done. In the initial phase more than 100 educators, researchers, and industry experts received the Readingpen and were asked to provide input on a wide array of questions.

The first concern was discovering where the Readingpen fits - what ages, reading levels, what student demographics, and where it fits in the curriculum. Various curricular areas were considered such as fluency, vocabulary, content area reading, library reading, ELL, and using the pen to support testing. Other topics studied included the product features, user interface, product instructions, classroom packaging, and pricing. Pilot classrooms started working with the Readingpen, and close observations were conducted.

The initial feedback from the market was overwhelming, showing that the Readingpen can be used in a very wide range of instructional applications.

With this positive initial feedback, the company developed a Readingpen that can be a personal reading assistant for every student:

The Readingpen Basic Edition K-12, tuned to the needs of the mainstream US K-12 classroom was developed
White papers developed by reading experts that describe the scientific foundation for using the Readingpen in the areas of fluency, vocabulary and comprehension, English language learning, and reading in the content area.
Usage models for different age groups and reading areas were developed, including lesson plans and students activities.
A sample library reading activities booklet covering four popular books was developed to explore the use of the pen in school libraries and to support authentic literature.
An affordable pricing structure providing schools with volume discount

The Readingpen Basic EditionK-12 is now available for sale to schools and parents. The company continues its quest to understand the best use of the pen to support student. During the months ahead the company will:

Survey the many teachers who are using the pens to better understand how the pens are being used in the classroom
Identify sites for large scale evaluation programs
Develop and conduct research with students who are using the pens
Integrate the Readingpen into professional development programs
Partner with print and electronic publishers to develop teacher materials and students activities for their curriculum

The Readingpen team is looking to educators, researchers and professional development practitioners, who feel that the Readingpen can help to enable their vision of education, to continue to shape the Readingpen and its use as a personal reading assistant for all students who seek to improve their reading skills.