Scanning Devices> Reading Pens

• Fluency.
• Vocabulary comprehension.
• Spelling.
• Pronunciation.
• Academic vocabulary.
• Grammatical structure.
• Understanding assessment instructions.

• Scans words or full lines of text instantly.
• Pronounces and displays words on built-in LCD screen.
• Displays and reads definitions and synonyms.
• Shows syllables.
• Spells words, highlighting letters.
• Built-in tutorial.
• Includes built-in speaker and headphones.
• Test Mode prevents access to definitions during exams.
• Keeps a history of the last 80 words scanned for easy review by user, parent, or teacher.

The ReadingPen:

• Works with any printed text.
• Fits in your pocket.
• Scans, defines, translates, and pronounces words from any printed material.
• Scans single words or full lines of text.
• Has an intuitive, friendly interface.
• Allows you to adjust the reading speed.
• Is easy to handle.
• Has a battery status indicator, so you can recharge or replace batteries when convenient for you.
• Includes built-in speaker and headphones.
• Includes The American Heritage® College Dictionary, 4th edition and Roget’s II The New Thesaurus.
• Recognizes over 450,000 words.

Neat tricks it does:

• After you scan, you can have it spell the word aloud, a letter at a time.
• It teaches you how to use it! That's right. It has a built-in tutorial. For school teachers, that means this reading assistive pen assists you in assisting your students.
• Displays syllable breaks, definitions, synonyms, and translations of the scanned text on the screen.
• Reads the scanned text aloud, including definitions and synonyms.
• Translates English words to Spanish using WizCom's English to Spanish dictionary.

Use the ReadingPen as your teaching assistant, inside or outside the classroom.  Users find it improves their reading skills dramatically.

Featuring the American Heritage Dictionary (English 4th Edition) and Roget's II Thesaurus, it provides a simple and easy way for people to get immediate word support when they are reading. Helpful to those with with reading difficulties, learning disabilities, or dyslexia.

Easy to use! You run it across a line of text just as if it's a yellow highlighter.

Q: How does it read back to you?

A: It reads back the words one at a time. If you scanned several words in sequence, it says them in that same sequence. So if you scan, "The dog jumped the fence" that is exactly what you'll hear when you play back the scan.

Other notes about this:

• The voice is pleasant, not robotic.
• If you scan a sequence of numbers, it will render that as a word. So for example, scanning "123" results in "one twenty three" not "one two three."
• The ReadingPen "recognizes" one word at a time. As you scan, it optically recognizes each letter. When it comes to a space or punctuation mark, it considers that sequence of letters to be a word. It looks up the word and speaks it. This all happens so fast that for the user, it's just "scan and hear."

Click image to enlarge

• Dyslexia. In fact, it's often called the Dyslexia Pen.
• Reading difficulty. It's a reading assistive device.
• Repeated reading.
• ELL/ESL.
• Basic and advanced reading.
• Supplemental reading.
• Supplemental Educational Services.

And is an excellent aid for:

• Content area readers.
• Struggling readers.
• Special needs students.
• Striving readers.

• Two "AAA" batteries.
• "Getting Started" document on the back of the packaging.
• Carry case.
• Earphones.
• Training foot.
• Instruction Manual.

The ReadingPen Classroom Set version comes with ten of each of these items in a custom-built hard case that provides organized storage and protection of your investment.

• Insert text using the touch screen and virtual keyboard. They can then hear it spoken aloud and obtain definition, translation, spelling, syllabication, and correct pronunciation.
• Transfer any looked-up words to a PC for further practice.
• Upload text from the PC onto this fully mobile, lightweight Pen, and have the ReadingPen TS read it aloud wherever you are.

This last additional functionality is great for teachers who want to provide students with specific vocabulary or reading lessons.

Note: The ReadingPen 2 replaced the ReadingPen Basic and ReadingPen Advanced by combining both into one device. All of these devices are WizCom scanners designed to help with reading.

1. How accurate is it? Answer: It's 97% accurate
    
2. How hard is it to use? Answer: If you have good dexterity, it's easy to use. How much dexterity do you need? Here's a simple test. Grab a text highlighter, and see if you can draw a straight line of highlighting in a newspaper or magazine. If so, you are good to go! If not, you are going to find the pen difficult to use.
    
3. Does it really read to you? You can't just wave it across a page and hear James Earl Jones reading the text. After you complete scanning a line or word, the pen recognizes the characters and looks up the words in its internal dictionary. It then can pronounce them in sequence.