Today, as I was online looking for inspiration about last-minute gifts, I came across a neat little gadget that I wish I had in college: a pen that will record audio as well as capturing the notes you take during your meetings, lectures, or brainstorming sessions. It’s called the LiveScribe Pulse Smart Pen.
Back when I was at Penn State, I had a staff member who had a similar product that was made for kids, but he used it religiously and it really seemed to work for him. I have a college student client with ADD and I can see this pen being a great tool for him. After reading up on it this morning, I sent him an e-mail telling him to check it out. And I am totally placing this on my wishlist.
Besides being a cool way to capture your notes and audio, it’s a great content creation tool. You can make and share “pencasts” of your notes, lectures, mind-maps, brainstorming sessions, or even art and poetry.
Check it out at Amazon.Com today. They have the 2G model for just under $100 and the 4G model for about $140. On the Amazon page, you can watch some short videos to learn more about how the pen works. It’s pretty amazing! I’ll be really surprised if I hold out until the new year on getting this gizmo. If and when I give in, I will share some information with you on how I like it, and you’ll likely see “pencasts” begin to appear on the site.
Have you used the LiveScribe or a similar pen to help you with your note-taking, brainstorming, or mind-mapping?
If so, please share your thoughts on the pros and cons of using one in the comment section!
Sean Cook has 15 years of experience working in Higher Education, as a Student Affairs Professional. He is a Certified Life and Career Coach through the Life Purpose Institute, a program accredited by the International Coach Federation. Sean also writes about career issues in higher education for our companion site, HigherEdCareerCoach.com and is a periodic contributor to the Student Affairs Collaborative Blog.
