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Volume 2.2 Resources for Universal Design for

Learning

Livescribe
Low cost ease of use built in functionality

OVERVIEW
Livescribe is a series of smart pens designed to enhance
personal productivity, learning, communication, and self-
expression (livescribe.com, pg. 2).
Learners can take notes while the same notes simultaneously
appear on their smart phones/iPads/computers. Once the
information is loaded on the computer it can then be
transformed into print, if desired. The video on the
Livescribe.com website (www.livescribe.com/en-ca)
demonstrates the tool in action very nicely.
WHY Livescribe???
To consider this question, I will refer to the 3 essential qualities of
Universal Design for Learning (UDL):
(Hutchinson, 2010, pg. 242)
3 Essential
Qualities of
the Universal
Design For
Learning
1. Curriculum
provides multiple
or flexible means
of
representation
2. Curriculum
provides multiple
or flexible means
of expression
and
performance
3. Curriculum
provides multiple
or flexible means
of engagement
Highlights
OVERVIEW
WHY LIVESCRIBE?
TEACHERS CORNER
CONSTRAINTS?
WORKS CITED

The Livescribe
smartpen is a
Montblanc-size
computer with
advanced
processing power,
audio and visual
feedback, as well
as substantial
memory for
handwriting
capture, and audio
recording
(Van Schaack,
2009, p.5)











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WHY Livescribe??? Cont
1. Curriculum provides multiple or flexible means of representation
With Livescribe, teachers can use the pen during individual
meetings with students, recording conversations and notes.
Alternatively, teachers can use the pen while explaining
challenging concepts in class, allowing the notes to be available
in audio format later for future reference. While some students
learn best through taking notes and reviewing them during study
time, others learn more effectively through active listening (Scutter
et al., 2010).
2. Curriculum provides multiple or flexible means of expression and
performance
Livescribe allows students the option to communicate in their
method of preference. One teacher using Livescribe blogs about
some best practices using Livescribe: Students were all given a
small pad of Livescribe Sticky pads and use the pens available in
the classroom to speak their answers instead of focusing on their
writing. They were allowed to provide an audio response in every
test (a Universal Designed approach). (Branigan-Pipe, n.d.). This
assessment approach supports UDL, allowing students to benefit
from the multiple expressive options electronic media can provide
(Rose and Meyer, 2006).
3. Curriculum provides multiple or flexible means of engagement
Livescribe can be used in many different contexts allowing
students access to audio/visual information if they desire. For
students with organizational challenges the pen can be used with
other software such as Evernote in order to store and organize their
work.
Although notetaking facilitates learning for notetakers with
greater working memory capacity, it may be detrimental for
learners with more limited capacity (Van Schaack, 2009, p.6).
Livescribe allows any gaps in this regard to be filled through audio
recordings and the ability to read over the notes once they have
been translated and organized into text.




What is research
saying?
**When surveyed, students
preferred taking notes with
pen and paper over using
their laptops. Furthermore,
taking notes with the
computer takes twice as
long and diagrams are
difficult to draw using a
mouse or touchpad (Van
Schaack, 2009).
**Research has indicated
that the bimodal experience
provided by text-to-speech
technologies can enhance
the reading comprehension,
fluency, accuracy, speed,
endurance, and
concentration of individuals
with reading deficits (Van
Schaack, 2009, p.8).
Universal Design For
Learning (UDL)
One of the three essential
qualities of UDL is that the
curriculum provides multiple
or flexible means of
engagement. A digital
format is the most flexible
means for presenting
curricular materials
(Hutchinson, 2010).






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TEACHERS CORNER
I discovered this resource as I was looking for strategies and tools
that would help one of my students with learning difficulties
better organize her work. At the same time I learned about work
being done with the smartpens at our local college. The Center
for Students with Disabilities (CSD) at Algonquin College employs
learning strategists and assistive technologists who work
together with students to find the tools/strategies they need in
order to be successful in their studies. Livescribe is one tool they
use with students and the students find it to be a very useful way
to record and keep track of notes.
One user suggests using Evernote (evernote.com) in unison with
Livescribe. Evernote allows students to organize and store their
notes and other information including images, documents, web
clips and audio notes (Branigan-Pipe, n.d.).
FEATURES OF THE SMARTPEN
! Built in microphone
! Built in speaker
! Allows users to backup, search and replay
notes
! Users can also convert notes to interactive
Flash movies or PDF files and share them
online
! Dot Positioning System (DPS) which is lined
paper that allows for live interactive
documents (the smartpens high-speed
infrared camera reads the dot pattern)
! The smartpens start at $120







Research suggests
that good notetaking,
coupled with review,
can aid learning. In
the general student
population, notetaking
helps the learner
attend to and record
important details of
the lecture content
during the class as well
as during the review
(Van Schaack, 2009,
P.8).















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CONSTRAINTS

"In terms of Universal Design for Learning, the smartpen wont be useful to all learners; therefore, it
should be used as an assistive tool for those learners who will benefit
"Some schools may not support the use of smartpens in which case lower income students who
could really benefit may not have access
"The tool is best used in conjunction with other applications such as an iPad or tablet, and a
place to store the information such as Evernote; therefore, if these applications are unavailable it
may not be used to its full potential


WORKS CITED
Branigan-Pipe, Z. (n.d.). On the Tip of Their Tongue - Use Audio for Assessment. PIPEDREAMS -
Leading at the Edge. Retrieved November 10, 2013, from http://pipedreams-education.ca
Hutchinson, N. L. (2010). Teaching for Diversity: Including Aboriginal Students, Students from Diverse
Cultural Backgrounds, and Students Who Are at Risk. Inclusion of Exceptional Learners in
Canadian Schools (pp. 165-200). Toronto ON: Pearson Education Canada. (Original work
published 2002)
Schaack, A. V. (2009). Livescribe in K-12 Education: Research Support. Livescribe, March , 1-24.
Retrieved November 7, 2013, from livescribe.com
Scutter, S., Stupans, I., Sawyer, T., & King, S. (2010). How Do Students Use Podcasts to Support
Learning? Australian Journal of Educational Technology, 26(2), 180-191. Retrieved July 22,
2013, from www.ascilite.org.au/ajet/ajet26/scutter.pdf








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