leapfrog.com
An amazing technology keeps my daughter busy (and up too late) at bedtime. She is three, but she loves to read. At some point, though, Mommy and Daddy need to be done reading to her. That’s when her “pen books” take over. More than once, as I drift off to sleep, I hear her sneaking a few more minutes as the pen dings to tell her to turn the page.
Emma has a collection of Tag books from Leap Frog. The books work with a “pen” that reads the pages aloud to her. It will read the entire page or individual words. The technology is similar to that of the LiveScribe pens- where a dot pattern becomes connected to audio information based on the location. Somehow, the LiveScribe pen knows exactly which page in a particular notebook you are using. The Tag books seem to work the same way. In my brain, I think of it as a very fancy barcode reader.
I couldn’t easily find an explanation of the technology on the Leap Frog Tag company page. But, I did find this technical explanation on Wikipedia:”The Tag pen device works with specially made books which include an optical pattern of dots too small to disturb the human reading the book. A stylus touches the book to actuate the Tag device, and the device, through analysis of the printed pattern, divines both the book being read and its exact position within the book. With the book and position known, the Tag device looks up the appropriate audio to play for that location in the book and plays it. This technique for position recognition is patented by Anoto.”
They are amazing.
I have seen my daughter become so excited to read with a text that interacts with her. While eReaders and tablets are becoming more prevalent, I love the fact that she takes time to “read” these paper books on her own. (Even if they do keep her up past her bedtime.)
Students come into our early grade levels at such extreme levels. Some barely know their alphabet, while others are emerging as proficient readers. In my understanding of best practice in elementary classrooms, students build the capacity to “read to self.” Couldn’t the Tag readers provide a quick and effective way to bridge the gap for those students who need to hear the text while they read? Would reading age appropriate, higher interest books help build a love for reading?
Tonight I discovered Leap Frog School, a page dedicated to just this idea. Even better, Tag has partnered with DonorsChoose to help get Tag readers into the classroom. Read about their Tag. Give. Read. program.
My daughter’s room is quiet. There will be more reading tomorrow!