Reading and Research

Our elementary education students are completing action research projects as part of their student teaching semester. Several have selected research topics that involve technology and reading. Here are some products they've been asking me about:

The Reading Pen which is held like a pen and used to scan text. The pen will pronounce words and has a built in dictionary so that the definitions can be accessed. There are two versions of the pen for elementary and secondary students. I saw it demonstrated and tried it at NECC this summer. We are considering purchasing one to use for demonstration purposes.

Read Please, downloadable from online (for free or for pay...depending on your needs), reads electronic text (word processed documents, webpages) aloud for students. I've found it to be helpful in reading my own papers aloud to me as I sometimes miss errors when I proofread.

The IRISPen is a handheld pen scanner. It works like a highlighter but as it highlights a word or sentece scans it into a computer application (you can choose any application you like...I prefer Word). I've used it extensively while working on my dissertation. It saves me time in retyping material and allows me to have accurate quotes.

I'm anxious to see their presentations at the end of the semester. It's interesting to see how they've incorporated technology into their research!