WizComReadingPenII:Anyone Use?

As an educational therapist and assistive technology specialist, working with children who have learning differences, I am always on the lookout for new (yet worthwhile) technology that can be useful when working with my students. I have been a long time user of the Reading Pen and have recently taken delivery of the newer version, the Reading Pen II.

I can say that I have had great success with the Reading Pen. I have a number of students who are using the pen, all for various reasons. The pen has proved a useful tool for the following populations; dyslexic, learning disabled, attention deficit and those with poor executive functioning.

The Reading Pen helps an individual overcome the frustration of having to stop reading, thumb though the dictionary to look up an unfamilair or difficult word and then return to the text. By removing the tedious task of looking through a dictionary the reader can enjoy a smoother and more pleasurable experience. I have also found that many of my students have poor sequencing skills, which makes it harder for them to use a dictionary. The Pen removes that element. Another benifit goes beyond obtaining the definition of a word. Having the word pronounced audibly is another important feature of the pen. I have seen reluctant readers begin to read more as a result of having the additional support of the Reading Pen. It is a compact, portable and easy device to use, which is why it has been readily adopted by so many of my students.

This sounds very interesting, my son is dyslexic and sounds like he might benefit from this. Where do you get this? How much does it cost? any information appreciated. Liz

The retail price of the former pen was $300.00. Despite the new pen having a much faster recognition engine and more features, it actually retails for less at just $275.00.

I am not sure where you live, but the company that markets the Reading Pen, WIZCOM Technologies can ship a pen directly to you. I have also purchased a number of pens for my clients and passed on any savings to them as a courtesy. The contact at WIZCOM is Steven Heller. He can be reached at 1-877-773-2363. If you would like more info about the pen itself, please feel free to e-mail.

Good luck.

Adrian

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Just tried the Reading Pen II. WizCom Technologies was helpful and their service was very good. However my 9 year old dyslexic son was unable to use it successfully. As the font gets smaller placing the Reading Pen just right and getting an accurate response was difficult. I practiced with it too. It is an amazing little device but wasn’t accurate enough to be helpful. In addition the Reading Pen II is supposed to scan a line as well as single word decoding. It was not accurate by the time it scanned several words.
I hope they keep working on it. I’d try the next version. In the meantime we’ll work with a Speaking Franklin Speller.

Sorry to hear that you did not have the best experience with using the pen. I have used the line scan with success. I suppose it depends on the quality of the print you are scanning.

The WizCom ReadingPen I and II are phenomenal products that are useful for many special needs students! The input from Adrian Whitchelo-Scott, was well stated and has been very similar to my own experience. I recommend that a parent with a “reluctant” reader allow the child to fully utilize this and other assistive technology products and devices. If it motivates a child/student to learn, and reduces frustration, anxiety and stress, why limit it’s use?
95% of our juvenile prison system is filled with kids that are functionally illiterate and are LD and ADHD, but never diagnosed, despite a law that requires districts to “Seek Out and Identify”.
With new high tech brain scanning equipment, we can now see that there are real differences in the brains of those with LD, ADD, etc.
Parents should also be aware that:
1. Simultaneously seeing and hearing a word will utilize the child’s stronger modality (hearing or seeing) to help overcome the weaker (it will actually help to develop new brain pathways)
2. Approximately 80% of those with LD and ADD suffer from anxiety, which can be debilitating in and of itself
3. The brain can learn ONE NEW thing at a time, and when anxiety and frustration mount, the brain can no longer do that.
4. When LD and ADD are not appropriately identified and remediated, looking at the whole child, taking care to address all issues affecting him/her, secondary behavior problems develop, which inevitably becomes everyone’s primary focus.
5. If a child is not reading by 3rd grade, statistically, there is very little chance and hope for success. (BUT NEVER GIVE UP ON A CHILD – THERE IS MUCH THAT CAN BE DONE, IF ONLY WE ARE WILLING!)
6. While many will benefit from the Reading Pen, Students with LD and ADD will find it particularly useful. This population by definition has at least a normal to above normal I.Q. Many do not test well, so establishing an accurate I.Q. is difficult, but there is NO question as to why they are and have been so many of our great thinkers, leaders, scientists, entrepreneurs, inventors, artists, musicians, etc. of all time. One can easily see a direct correlation between intelligence and frustration. By providing tools such as the ReadingPen, that will reduce frustration and allow a student access to the world of written language, you help him/her to begin to work that much closer to his/her intellectual ability and with INDEPENDENCE!

The only students that I have observed to struggle with this device, are those with specific types of severe fine motor dysfunction, severe disgraphia, tracking difficulties, etc.; all of which require individualized occupational therapy (utilizing trained sensory integration specialists) and developmental optimologists for tracking and convergence type issues, that frequently accompany other neurological issues. These problems have to be extreme, because I have worked with many Special Ed Middle School students, with severe dysgraphia, that are able to use the ReadingPen and love it!

Author: Adrian Whitchelo-Scott
Date: 03-28-01 18:09

As an educational therapist and assistive technology specialist, working with children who have learning differences, I am always on the lookout for new (yet worthwhile) technology that can be useful when working with my students. I have been a long time user of the Reading Pen and have recently taken delivery of the newer version, the Reading Pen II.

I can say that I have had great success with the Reading Pen. I have a number of students who are using the pen, all for various reasons. The pen has proved a useful tool for the following populations: dyslexic, learning disabled, attention deficit and those with poor executive functioning.

The Reading Pen helps an individual overcome the frustration of having to stop reading, thumb though the dictionary to look up an unfamilair or difficult word and then return to the text. By removing the tedious task of looking through a dictionary the reader can enjoy a smoother and more pleasurable experience. I have also found that many of my students have poor sequencing skills, which makes it harder for them to use a dictionary. The Pen removes that element. Another benifit goes beyond obtaining the definition of a word. Having the word pronounced audibly is another important feature of the pen. I have seen reluctant readers begin to read more as a result of having the additional support of the Reading Pen. It is a compact, portable and easy device to use, which is why it has been readily adopted by so many of my students.

The WizCom ReadingPen I and II are phenomenal products that are useful for many special needs students! The input from Adrian Whitchelo-Scott, was well stated and has been very similar to my own experience. I recommend that a parent with a “reluctant” reader allow the child to fully utilize this and other assistive technology products and devices. If it motivates a child/student to learn, and reduces frustration, anxiety and stress, why limit it’s use?
95% of our juvenile prison system is filled with kids that are functionally illiterate and are LD and ADHD, but never diagnosed, despite a law that requires districts to “Seek Out and Identify”.
With new high tech brain scanning equipment, we can now see that there are real differences in the brains of those with LD, ADD, etc.
Parents should also be aware that:
1. Simultaneously seeing and hearing a word will utilize the child’s stronger modality (hearing or seeing) to help overcome the weaker (it will actually help to develop new brain pathways)
2. Approximately 80% of those with LD and ADD suffer from anxiety, which can be debilitating in and of itself
3. The brain can learn ONE NEW thing at a time, and when anxiety and frustration mount, the brain can no longer do that.
4. When LD and ADD are not appropriately identified and remediated, looking at the whole child, taking care to address all issues affecting him/her, secondary behavior problems develop, which inevitably becomes everyone’s primary focus.
5. If a child is not reading by 3rd grade, statistically, there is very little chance and hope for success. (BUT NEVER GIVE UP ON A CHILD – THERE IS MUCH THAT CAN BE DONE, IF ONLY WE ARE WILLING!)
6. While many will benefit from the Reading Pen, Students with LD and ADD will find it particularly useful. This population by definition has at least a normal to above normal I.Q. Many do not test well, so establishing an accurate I.Q. is difficult, but there is NO question as to why they are and have been so many of our great thinkers, leaders, scientists, entrepreneurs, inventors, artists, musicians, etc. of all time. One can easily see a direct correlation between intelligence and frustration. By providing tools such as the ReadingPen, that will reduce frustration and allow a student access to the world of written language, you help him/her to begin to work that much closer to his/her intellectual ability and with INDEPENDENCE!

The only students that I have observed to struggle with this device, are those with specific types of severe fine motor dysfunction, severe disgraphia, tracking difficulties, etc.; all of which require individualized occupational therapy (utilizing trained sensory integration specialists) and developmental optimologists for tracking and convergence type issues, that frequently accompany other neurological issues. These problems have to be extreme, because I have worked with many Special Ed Middle School students, with severe dysgraphia, that are able to use the ReadingPen and love it!

Author: Adrian Whitchelo-Scott
Date: 03-28-01 18:09

As an educational therapist and assistive technology specialist, working with children who have learning differences, I am always on the lookout for new (yet worthwhile) technology that can be useful when working with my students. I have been a long time user of the Reading Pen and have recently taken delivery of the newer version, the Reading Pen II.

I can say that I have had great success with the Reading Pen. I have a number of students who are using the pen, all for various reasons. The pen has proved a useful tool for the following populations: dyslexic, learning disabled, attention deficit and those with poor executive functioning.

The Reading Pen helps an individual overcome the frustration of having to stop reading, thumb though the dictionary to look up an unfamilair or difficult word and then return to the text. By removing the tedious task of looking through a dictionary the reader can enjoy a smoother and more pleasurable experience. I have also found that many of my students have poor sequencing skills, which makes it harder for them to use a dictionary. The Pen removes that element. Another benifit goes beyond obtaining the definition of a word. Having the word pronounced audibly is another important feature of the pen. I have seen reluctant readers begin to read more as a result of having the additional support of the Reading Pen. It is a compact, portable and easy device to use, which is why it has been readily adopted by so many of my students.

I have an 8.5 year old daughter with severe dyslexia, central auditory processing weakness, and slight ADD. She loves books. We take her to the library every other week and she comes home with her arms full. She spends hours looking at the pictures and trying to figure out the meaning of the text using contextual clues. Her comprehension skills are excellent far above her actual reading level (about early 1st grade). Our daughter is really independent and this device sounds like it would allow her to read more independently.

She has completed FastForward, Stepforward, and the Davis program. All of these have made a difference but she is frustrated by her lack of progress. Do you think that this device would be useful for her?