Technology Helps Students Learn to Write

Technology has helped spark revolutions in industries with more beneficial meaning than just pure entertainment, like healthcare and education.

As we see with mHealth and innovational developments in cancer research with laser technology, a new generation of advanced medical research is being put forth that could potentially save lives. For education, with platforms like videoconferencing and the web, the ability to learn has been taken to heightened levels.

As blackboards and textbooks become a trend from the past, being replaced by SMART Books and virtual books via Kindle, it seems that the art of writing could potentially be replaced by a technologically advanced pen.

Writing is the oldest form of learning, created in ancient times by the Egyptians, and has since then flourished to civilizations and countries around the world. However, with mobile devices, laptops and computers, it seems that most writing tasks are now “typed” instead of hand written. However, the new creation from a German based company, Lernstift, has taken a new approach that could revitalize the writing.

The Lernstift pen has motion sensors that analyze the user while he or she is writing, either on paper or in thin air, and is able to detect errors in spelling, grammar or penmanship. Once the pen recognizes an error a vibrating motor goes off to alert the user.

What is so noteworthy about this creation, aside from its advanced technological workings, is that instead of giving the user the correct answer to the error at hand, as most Word Documents do, it forces them to find the problem themselves.

Although the pen is still undergoing patenting and mechanical issues, like the accuracy of the language identifier, it brings attention to the importance reviving what students would consider now, “old” learning methods, with the help of technology.

With all the latest advancements in the Web and mobile devices, it seems that the only way to keep students attention span on education is to fuse together with its leading opponent, technology.