Papershow

http://www.papershowforteachers.com

This is a fantastic resource for teachers and their pupils. It is a combination of the oldfashioned way of teaching with pencil and paper and the new way of teaching using technology.

What you need
To use this resource you need a computer. If you want to use the resource the best way you also need a projector. Then, of course, you need to buy the hard- and software called "Papershow". The price is about £ 195 for the "all- in one" starter kit, if you buy it over internet. Then you just install the program and the pen, there are instructions on the company's webbsite showing how to work it out, and it is ready to use.

How it works
You use a special kind of paper that follows with the program, and you write or draw with a special pen that incorporates a small camera. On the paper ther are a few symbols. If you touch them with the pen you can do different things as editing the text you write, make different kinds of symbols, lines and arrows, moving texts or objects and erasing written or drawn objects. When you draw or write on the special paper the camera in the pen registers the location of the line on the paper, and the program shows it on the computerscreen. You can also print pictures from the computer on the special paper, and the picture shows on the screen. Then you can draw or write on that picture. If you then project whats shown on the computerscreen to the wall or whiteboard, the class gets a good general view. One negative thing is you need to buy more special paper when you have used all the sheets that follows the start kit. Worth noticing though is you can use every sheet several times, until you no longer are able to see what you write or draw.

How the resource can be used by teachers

You can get your lessons more concentrated by preparing your lessons in advance. You can prepare texts, pictures and exercises on the papersheets. The pupils can start to work immediately instead of waiting while you write or draw on the whiteboard. If you write while you are teaching, you can sit or stand turned to the class. You are also able to let the pupils take notes from the lesson or making mindmaps together and then save the notes in two different formats, pdf or powerpoint. You also can e- mail the notes if, for example, a pupil don’t attend to the lesson for some reason.

How the resource can be used by pupils

The first and very important thing is that the pupils try to do their very best when they know everyone else in the class are able to see their writing. The second important thing is you increase the oral communication between the pupils when they write together. For example the class can write a story together by circulating the paper and pen in the class so everyone can write one sentence each. Everyone immediately see what is written and you can talk about spellings, synonyms and how to use written words in different situations or how to continue the written story. It is easy and fun for pupils to use the magic pen and to watch their writing on the screen. You can get the pupils involved in a much easier way and then save the notes for later use.

I think this as a complement to the internet and a much cheaper investment than buying a interactive whiteboard. It don’t have all the fancy functions, but it really increases the pupils interest of writing and talking and to do it as well as possible!

Yours,

Malin Marklund